A judicial magistrate on Wednesday granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) a six-day physical remand of podcast host Rehan Tariq in a case registered under blasphemy and electronic crime laws. The NCCIA registered a first information report (FIR) against YouTuber Tariq on June 25 after he conducted a podcast with a religious scholar […]
blasphemy
Blasphemy death penalty appeals to be heard by three-member SC bench
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Registrar Office to fix for hearing the appeals of two death-row convicts, Qaisar Ayub and Amoon Ali, in a blasphemy case before a three-member bench. The direction was issued during proceedings held in Courtroom No. 1 of the Supreme Court. The court ordered that, in accordance with its […]
Govt to punish false accusers of blasphemy, says Ashrafi
LAHORE: The government is determined to punish all those who make false allegations of blasphemy to curb the misuse of the highly sensitive laws, a key aide to the prime minister said after a meeting with the church leadership on Saturday. Addressing a joint press conference after an important meeting with the church leaders, Prime […]
Tamgha-i-Shujaat has been announced by state that keeps surrendering to mobs
I’m not going to start by saying how sorry I feel neither am I going to use terms like “should have,” “could have,” or “would have”, because there’s already a ton of debate on all the ‘would haves,’ ‘could haves’ and ‘should haves’. Priyantha Kumara’s transgression was removing a TLP sticker from industrial […]
LHC acquits Christian couple who faced death penalty for blasphemy after 7-year on death row
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has spared the life of a Christian couple – convicted and sentenced to death in April 2014 but imprisoned since 2013 for sharing ‘blasphemous’ texts – in a short ruling, according to defence lawyer. Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar had spent about seven years seeking mercy through courts while imprisoned […]
Qureshi expresses disappointment at EU’s resolution on blasphemy
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that Pakistan was ready to play its part for positive and productive partnership with the European Union as enormous potential existed in areas of trade, climate change and digitization. In his virtual address to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, he said that the […]
Ashrafi asks people to consult Ulema Board if facing wrong case of blasphemy
LAHORE: Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Affairs Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said on Sunday that rooting out extremism, terrorism and sectarianism from the society was the priority of the incumbent government. Addressing a press conference, he said that extremism and forced conversion law was discussed, adding that not a single FIR regarding […]
University students being thrashed due to blasphemy accusations – where are we heading as a nation?
Classrooms are a cradle for learning and university corridors often considered the safe space conducive to informal dialogue and debate. However, in a tragic irony, two young boys were attacked, sent to the police station, and expelled from their institutes over allegations of “hurting religious sentiments” of fellow students. An accusation that sends Raza* from […]
Man jailed in Blasphemy case
A man accused of blasphemy was given remand by a judicial magistrate in judicial custody for 14 days on Saturday. The case was registered at the Shams Colony Police under Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 298-A (use of […]
Today marks the second death anniversary of Mashal Khan
Mashal Khan was a Pashtun and Muslim student at the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Pakistan who was killed by an angry mob in the premises of the university on 13 April 2017, over allegations of posting blasphemous content online. Following which, a joint investigation team formed to probe the case found that Mashal hadn’t […]