Dirty Game of Extortion in Pakistan over Blasphemy

People are being jailed for blasphemy in Pakistan because of online chats. According to the victims, they were framed by extortionists or people who wanted to inflate the number of arrests. Human rights experts say that the rise in blasphemy cases is a way for religious groups to garner support.

People are being jailed for blasphemy in Pakistan because of online chats. Many accused say that they were framed by people online who wanted to extort money from them or wanted to inflate the number of arrests on blasphemy charges.

It is worth noting that in Pakistan, blasphemy can be punishable by death, but no one has been hanged for it yet. Human rights experts say that showing rising cases of blasphemy (whether it is artificial or not) is a way for Islamic groups to garner public support and raise funds under the pretext of protecting religious sanctity.

Sharp increase in arrests for online blasphemy
Interviews with the families of the accused, legal experts, human rights advocates and some officials, as well as a review of government reports, indicate misuse of the laws related to it. A report published by the government human rights body in October last year recorded a sharp increase in arrests for online blasphemy. According to this, there were 11 arrests in 2020, nine in 2021 and 64 in 2022.

After this, the punishments for blasphemy were amended. After this, there was a huge increase in arrests. The number reached 213 in 2023 and 767 in the first seven months of 2024. People arrested on blasphemy charges often rot in jail for months before the trial begins. Peter Jacob, executive director of the human rights organization 'Center for Social Justice Pakistan', said that aggressive efforts to find and convict cases reflect the increasing politicization of blasphemy laws.

Groups such as the Law Commission on Blasphemy Pakistan deny this. They say there has been an unprecedented rise in actual cases of online blasphemy. Rao Abdur Rahim, a lawyer representing the group, said recently, "Never before have we seen such a blatant insult to Islam, the Holy Quran, Prophet Muhammad and other revered figures."