Islamabad: A growing number of people in Pakistan are being accused of blasphemy linked to alleged digital crimes, with rights groups describing the trend as a "blasphemy business" driven by fabricated evidence, doctored screenshots and false witness statements. According to a report by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate, these allegations are increasingly used by organised networks for extortion and intimidation.
In December, the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court acquitted six individuals who had been sentenced to life imprisonment or death in a digital blasphemy case, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a credible link between the accused and the alleged online material. The court noted the rise of "blasphemy businesses" relying on unverified digital content to implicate people in capital offences.
The report highlights that those targeted are often from religious minorities or low-income backgrounds and are pressured to pay intermediaries to avoid prosecution. It warns that Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws, particularly Section 295-C of the Penal Code, create a high-risk environment where even unproven allegations can lead to arrest, mob violence or extrajudicial killings. At least 104 people have been killed following blasphemy accusations since 1994.
Rights groups also allege complicity by some officials within the Federal Investigation Agency, as well as the role of private online vigilante groups. The report cites the case of Shagufta Kiran, a Christian woman sentenced to death over a forwarded WhatsApp message, as emblematic of systemic abuse and weak investigative safeguards, leaving minorities especially vulnerable. (IANS)
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