The Meaning of the White in Pakistan’s National Flag Every year on 14 August, Pakistan’s national flag appears everywhere. It flies from government buildings. It hangs from balconies. Children carry it through streets. Cars, shops and homes are decorated in green and white. The crescent and star are instantly recognised. But one part of the… Continue reading The White Stripe Was a Promise: Did Pakistan Keep Its Promise to Religious Minorities?
Blasphemy killings in Pakistan reveal a disturbing contradiction: although the law allows the death penalty for certain offences, many accused people have been killed outside the judicial process. Pakistan’s law permits the death penalty for certain blasphemy offences. Yet Pakistan has not carried out a judicial execution specifically for a blasphemy conviction. At first glance,… Continue reading No Judicial Execution for Blasphemy – Yet Many Accused Have Been Killed
From British India to Zia-ul-Haq: How Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws Became So Severe The history of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws begins before the creation of Pakistan and extends from British colonial legislation to major changes under General Zia-ul-Haq. Pakistan did not create its entire blasphemy-law framework in 1947. Part of it was inherited from British India. But… Continue reading From British India to Zia-ul-Haq: How Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws Became So Severe
Who is accused of blasphemy in Pakistan? The answer includes Muslims as well as Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus and members of other communities. Pakistan’s blasphemy controversy is sometimes described exclusively as persecution of religious minorities. That description misses an important part of the story. Muslims are accused too. Yet minority communities remain particularly vulnerable relative to… Continue reading Who Is Accused of Blasphemy in Pakistan? Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis
Digital blasphemy in Pakistan has transformed how accusations arise, spread and become evidence in criminal proceedings. Pakistan’s blasphemy controversy has entered the smartphone era. Increasingly, allegations involve: Facebook posts, WhatsApp messages, TikTok or other social-media content, photographs, screenshots, SIM cards, and forwarded digital material. The technology is new. The potential punishment remains extraordinarily severe. Junaid… Continue reading Digital Blasphemy in Pakistan: When Facebook Posts, WhatsApp Messages and Screenshots Become Criminal Evidence
Judges in blasphemy cases in Pakistan can face threats and intimidation that raise serious concerns about judicial independence and fair trials. Judges are expected to decide cases according to evidence and law. But what happens when acquitting a defendant may place the judge in danger? This is one of the least discussed dimensions of Pakistan’s… Continue reading Judges Under Threat: Can Blasphemy Cases Be Decided Without Fear?
Lawyers defending blasphemy cases in Pakistan can face intimidation, threats and even deadly violence simply for representing the accused. The right to a lawyer is one of the foundations of criminal justice. But in Pakistan’s most sensitive blasphemy proceedings, accepting a defendant’s case can expose the lawyer to threats. Sometimes the consequences have been fatal.… Continue reading Defending the Accused Can Cost Your Life: The Lawyers in Pakistan’s Blasphemy Cases
Mental disability and blasphemy laws in Pakistan raise serious questions about intent, criminal responsibility and the protection of vulnerable defendants. What happens when a person accused of deliberately insulting religion may not fully understand their own behaviour? This question has arisen repeatedly in Pakistani blasphemy proceedings. The International Commission of Jurists has specifically documented the… Continue reading Mental Illness, Intellectual Disability and Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws
Children accused of blasphemy in Pakistan reveal some of the most disturbing consequences of the country’s blasphemy laws. Few cases reveal the severity of Pakistan’s blasphemy system more starkly than those involving children. Minors have faced allegations capable of producing imprisonment, community violence and threats against entire families. Salamat Masih Salamat Masih was approximately 12… Continue reading Children Accused of Blasphemy in Pakistan
Acquitted but Still in Danger: Blasphemy Defendants Forced into Hiding and Exile Blasphemy acquittals in Pakistan do not always mean that the accused can safely return to ordinary life. In most criminal cases, acquittal means freedom. For some people accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, acquittal has meant something much more complicated. The prison door opens.… Continue reading Acquitted but Still in Danger: Blasphemy Defendants Forced into Hiding and Exile
