Christians in Pakistan have suffered a setback after a court-ordered investigation into the misuse of the country’s blasphemy laws was stopped.
Last month, Justice Ishaq Khan of Islamabad High Court told the government to examine evidence of false blasphemy accusations. The order followed a leaked police report called The Blasphemy Business, which claimed that organised groups had been framing young people for blasphemy in order to extort money.
According to the report, fake social media accounts were used to draw victims into conversations that were later labelled as blasphemous. Families were then pressured to pay bribes to have charges dropped. Human rights investigators say more than 450 people have been trapped in this way since 2021, with reports of arrests, disappearances and torture in police custody.
While it is unclear how many of these victims were Christians, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws have long been used against religious minorities. The laws carry the death penalty, but even without a conviction, an accusation can lead to violence or murder.
Thomas Mueller*, an analyst for the Christian charity Open Doors, said: “There is growing awareness that these laws are exploited to harm vulnerable people and religious minorities. They are used for land grabs, targeting business rivals and criminal extortion.”
The investigation brought hope to Christians and other minorities, but it faced fierce resistance. Members of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party denounced the court order, while lawyers linked to another religious party challenged it in court. On 24 July, fearing unrest, the High Court suspended the order.
Christian lawyers described the move as a “blow to justice”. Mueller noted that previous attempts to reform the laws have been halted by violent protests from radical groups.
Pakistan is ranked eighth on the Open Doors World Watch List for Christian persecution. The police report has at least revealed the scale of abuse and sparked renewed debate over the blasphemy laws.
Christians in Pakistan are asking for prayer that the truth will continue to come to light and that meaningful reform will one day be possible.
*Name changed for security reasons.
Adapted from Open Doors.
