LAHORE, Pakistan — A judge has ordered Pakistan’s government to probe possible collusion between the Federal Investigation Agency and Islamic clerics in a deadly scheme resulting in hundreds of people being falsely charged with blasphemy.
The Feb. 2 decision of a high court justice mandates that a commission be formed to investigate a “blasphemy business group,” report the media outlets Christian Daily International and Morning Star News. “The Islamabad High Court issued the order in response to petitions filed by families of more than 100 people booked by the [Federal Investigation Agency] for allegedly sharing blasphemous content online.”
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An earlier article from the news outlets quotes human rights lawyers as saying five of the falsely accused individuals “were tortured to death in custody.”
400 innocent people ‘ensnared’
The “blasphemy business group’s” actions are “said to have ensnared more than 400 innocent people, including Christians, in a surge of false blasphemy cases in the last two years,” the news sources say.
Citing a special report from Pakistan’s Punjab Police, the lawyers explain the group’s modus operandi this way: Members distribute “blasphemous” online content. They file a police report, saying a particular individual shared it. Then, the accusers blackmail the individual’s family, the news outlets state.
World Watch
Pakistan is No. 8 on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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