Interestingly, having never carried out an execution on this basis, this hardline anti-blasphemy stance has engendered extensive violence at the community level, with countless accused blasphemers being battered and killed by civilian vigilantes and Islamist mobs.

In the last decade, the “crimes” committed by those accused of blasphemy in Pakistan have been as ridiculous as tossing a business card into the rubbish, a water dispute in village, the design of a place of worship, spelling errors, the naming of a child, burning a (non-religious) talisman or sharing a picture on social media.

Progressively, cases related with blasphemy are being settled with violence outside the courtroom, with mob and targeted attacks against those accused. 

In many cases, not only the prime accused, but family members and lawyers of the accused, and even judges who have acquitted defendants, have been targeted.

The issue of blasphemy becomes more grievous in Pakistan, as what is important in Pakistan is the jostling for position as the true, authentic, and passionate representative of Sunni Islam that has given blasphemy charges its real force in political life.

Unfortunately, in the latest of such events, on August 5, a 22-year-old, English language school teacher was shot dead by unknown armed men on an allegation of blasphemy in Malikabad area of Turbat town in Balochistan’s Kech district, when he, accompanied by some people, was going to attend a jirga of ulema to explain his position on the matter. 

According to sources, students of the language centre had lodged complaints with local clerics, accusing Rauf of committing blasphemy during a lecture. 

The matter also gained traction on social media. Reportedly, Rauf also tendered an apology for any objectionable words on the issue.

But, this apology could not deter his murder.

This is one such incident among numerous. Pakistan has also seen many high-profile murders related with Blasphemy cases, not to forget, the assassinations of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti. 

And the infamous cases of Asia Bibi and Rimsha Maseeh (both are now acquitted, however, they live in Canada in undisclosed locations). Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti, two prominent politicians who chose to support Asia Bibi when she was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court in 2010, were killed by Islamists in 2011.

Taseer was the Governor of Punjab province at the time. Bhatti, a Pakistani Christian, was Pakistan’s minister for religious minorities. 
Both liberal politicians had openly campaigned to reform Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Resultantly, both had to die violent deaths.

Not only prominent politicians, but foreign nationals have also been mercilessly killed in Pakistan with blasphemy charges.

In December, 2021, a violent mob in Sailkot, Punjab, tortured, killed, and then set on fire a Sri Lankan citizen, Priyantha Kumara Diyawandana, a Buddhist, who was accused of blasphemy over some posters he had allegedly taken down. 

He worked as general manager in a factory of the industrial engineering company, Rajco Industries in Sialkot.

Also, in July, 2020, a US citizen on trial for blasphemy in Pakistan has been shot dead while appearing in court Peshawar. 

Tahir Ahmed Naseem, 47, died after a member of the public walked into the courtroom and opened fire in front of the judge.

However, in a rare move, or rather out of fear of retaliation from China, in May 2023, a Chinese national was released on bail after he was arrested in blasphemy case. 

The man, an engineer at a Chinese-built hydropower project in Dasu, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was accused by workers of making derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohammad and Islam.

Thousands of fuming protesters took to the streets following the accusation, blocking the Karakoram Highway/China-Pakistan Friendship Highway. 

The protestors demanded that authorities arrest the Chinese national on blasphemy charges. Reportedly, the police reached and save the Chinese from violent assault.

Regrettably, once accusations of blasphemy are made, torture of those who have been accused of it often begins even before formal action in the legal system kicks in. 

On countless cases since the 1980s, people accused of blasphemy, their families, as well as their neighborhoods have been targeted by mobs and organized extremist religious groups following mere allegations of blasphemy, particularly where the individual belongs to a religious minority community. 

Such violence often targets homes and places of worship, which in some cases has caused in forced evictions, and at times, has even forced families to seek exile.

According to the Centre for Social Justice, from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023, 78 cases of alleged blasphemy have appeared along with four extrajudicial killings in Pakistan. 

In half a year there has been a staggering upsurge in cases of blasphemy and related incidents from the previous years. This is a terribly worrying time, and one wonders if the government of Pakistan is even concerned about speaking up about the long-standing issue of the misuse of the blasphemy laws.

Pakistan’s blasphemy law is a state-sanctioned tool of religious coercion used to target members of minority faith communities whether Shia, Ahmadi, Sikh, Christian, Hindu.

The blasphemy laws were initially promulgated by the British government in 1860. Initially, four blasphemy laws IPC 295, 296, 297, and 298 were introduced. In 1927, the IPC 295 was supplemented by 295A as a result of the famous case of Ilm-ud-din, a Muslim carpenter who killed MahasheRajpal for publishing the book ‘RangilaRasul.’ 

The book was considered derogatory towards Muslims and Prophet Mohammad. Ilm-ud-Din was arrested, prosecuted, and eventually executed.

Following independence in 1947, Pakistan retained the penal code inherited from the British. During the period spanning from 1947-1977, there are only ten reported judgments that relate to offences against religion.

In 1974, during Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s first term in office, the Parliament amended the Constitution of Pakistan, declaring Ahmadis as non-Muslims.

The Blasphemy Laws while ‘protecting Islam’ provided the privileged citizens with means through which they could falsely accuse anyone of Blasphemy over personal feuds and interests manipulating the legal system. 

The PPP government and Musharraf regime tried to make the implementation of these laws stringent by introducing thorough investigations but were threatened and hushed by hard-core Islamic fundamentalists. 

In the 1980s General Zia-ulHaq inserted Clauses 295-B and 295-C into the Pakistan Penal Code that was written in 1860 by the British. 

Clause 295-B convicts anyone who defiles, damages, or desecrates the Quran with life imprisonment. Clause 295-C forbids derogatory remarks against the Prophet and such acts will be punishable by death, life imprisonment and fine.

Not only the common people, but terror organisations, also get active in ‘punishing’ the blasphemers and rallying huge followers in their events and gatherings. 

Following the desecration and burning of the Quran in Stockholm, Sweden in June, 2023, Pakistan witnessed widespread protests. 

A banned extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, labelled it as an attack by Christians on Muslims and called on their followers to attack Christian settlements and kill Christians, while further vowing that they will make Pakistan a ‘hell for Christians.’

Moreover, another Islamist Organisation, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) is notorious for such activities. 

The focus of this group is protecting Pakistan's draconian blasphemy laws and punishing blasphemers. 

The movement was born in 2015 out of a protest campaign to seek the release of Mumtaz Qadri, a police guard who assassinated Salman Taseer over his calls to reform blasphemy legislation. Qadri was later executed. TLP founded a political party at Qadri's funeral in 2016 attended by tens of thousands of people.

Blasphemy-related murders have sadly become all too common in Pakistan. It is even more concerning that these crimes seem to have widespread support within society. 

The act of publicly shaming, continuously attacking, and ultimately killing those accused of blasphemy has turned into something like a community pastime throughout Pakistan. 

This is a cruel and inhumane practice that has no place in a civilized world. 

The constant cycle of taking offence over religious matters has regrettably guided certain segments of Pakistani society down a path of uncivilized behaviour, which is deeply unfortunate.

In conclusion, the prevalence of blasphemy-related violence in Pakistan serves as more than an isolated concern—it mirrors a society in turmoil, grappling with its very essence of core values, ethical principles, and collective identity.

Resolving this crisis necessitates a multifaceted strategy involving legal amendments, educational initiatives, interfaith dialogue, and unwavering political commitment. 

Only through collective endeavors can Pakistan aspire to break free from the clutches of intolerance, and reclaim its rightful position as an equitable, harmonious community and just nation.  

The imperative for action is paramount, as the consequences of inertia resonate in lives lost, communities fractured, and the erosion of the nation's moral bedrock.