A court order to form a government inquiry commission to investigate misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws is hailed by attorneys for the accused as a “huge ray of hope.”
Christian Daily International-Morning Star News says the July 15 court order mandates that the government establish the panel within 30 days and complete its work within four months.
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According to the news outlet, Islamabad High Court Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan “issued the order while hearing a case involving multiple blasphemy cases that came with allegations of repeated patterns of abuse.
Families of more than 100 victims of false blasphemy cases alleged that officials from the anti-blasphemy unit of the cybercrime section of the Federal Investigation Agency, lawyers and others conspired to [trap] innocent people, including Christians, into sharing content deemed blasphemous, later using it to extort money by threatening legal action.”
The news outlet further states, “They alleged that those who refused to pay were prosecuted under blasphemy laws, exposing them to vigilante violence. Over the years, several individuals accused of blasphemy have been killed extrajudicially by Muslim extremists, according to various research groups.”
A National Commission for Human Rights report reveals the following figures for blasphemy cases in Pakistan during a five-year period: 2020, 11 cases; 2021, nine cases; 2022, 64 cases; 2023, 213 cases; and 767 cases through July 2024.
Data from the Center for Research and Security Studies shows Christians are the second most targeted group to be falsely accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, notes Christian Daily-Morning Star.
World Watch
Ninety-six percent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, states the news outlet. Pakistan ranks No. 8 on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
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