By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – One of Pakistan’s most influential courts ruled Tuesday that a judicial commission will investigate the abuse of blasphemy legislation in a historic move that could impact minority Christians, a senior lawyer confirmed to Worthy News.
“The Islamabad High Court has taken a bold and historic step in safeguarding justice and human dignity by ordering the formation of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the abuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, particularly Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code,” said Farooq Bashir, general secretary of the Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan.
Hundreds of people, many of them Christians, have suffered on controversial charges of blasphemy against Islam, with many languishing for years in prison without a fair trial, according to rights activists.
The court said the Commission must be “independent,” although the government appoints its members. The Commission “should include a retired judge of the High Court Court or the Supreme Court, a retired senior officer of the [Federal Investigation Agency] FIA. [Other members include] “an enlightened and religious scholar who has known and has done works of public good, and a senior expert of information technology whose presence on the Commission will greatly assist its members in what is a technologically complicated chain that the Commission will have to understand,” the court order stated.
Among those targeted were Christian men lured through social media into a “honey trap”, with young women tempting them to make “blasphemous” remarks about Islam for blackmail purposes, Worthy News learned.
Additionally, Christians were attacked by angry mobs due to their faith in Christ, including former Muslims, with several being killed and injured, Worthy News documented.
Others were jailed, such as Anwar Kenneth, a mentally challenged Christian man who spent 23 years behind bars on death row for “blasphemy” against Islam, before being released last month.
JUDICIAL SUPERVISION
Farooq Bashir welcomed that the Commission investigating the abuse of blasphemy “will operate under continuous judicial supervision and its proceedings will be broadcast live, ensuring transparency and public confidence. This initiative is a monumental affirmation that due process, impartial investigation, and fair trial guarantees must apply to blasphemy allegations just as they do to all other offences under Pakistani law,” the lawyer stressed.
In a statement to Worthy News, Bashir called it “a momentous day for justice in Pakistan. The formation of this Commission is not only a legal breakthrough—it is a lifeline for those who have suffered under the weight of false blasphemy allegations.”
The establishment of the Commission comes more than a decade after Pakistan’s first Christian minister and a provincial governor were assassinated in separate incidents due to their criticism of the country’s blasphemy laws.
Shahbaz Bhatti, the Minister for Minorities, was killed in 2011 by militants for his opposition to the blasphemy laws. Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab province, was also assassinated in 2011 by his bodyguard for similar reasons.
Bashir noted that “Many of the victims have been from the Christian community.” He called the establishment of a Commission investigating wrongdoing with blasphemy legislation “a deeply significant step for Pakistani Christians and other vulnerable groups who have been disproportionately affected.”
He said that for the first time, “victims will be given a platform to present their defence, prove their innocence, and expose the forces that sought to destroy their lives through fabricated claims.”
Bashir stressed the “initiative brings renewed hope for the hundreds of individuals falsely accused of blasphemy—many of whom have endured prolonged detention, social ostracism, or violence without trial.”
DEATH SENTENCE
Blasphemy is an offense officially punishable by death in Pakistan. Although authorities have executed no one for blasphemy, a mere accusation can be a death sentence, a major rights group said last month.
In the past decade, “vigilantes have killed dozens of people in mob violence following blasphemy accusations,” explained Human Rights Watch in a recent assessment.
Adding to their difficulties is that “Historically, such individuals have found it nearly impossible to secure legal representation due to fear, social boycott, and threats of violence against their defenders,” Bashir added.
The Commission’s findings and recommendations will be “instrumental in not only addressing past injustices but also in laying down safeguards to prevent future misuse of the blasphemy laws,” he argued.
Bashir recalled that victims and lawyers were involved in pushing for reforms in the Islamic nation, where Christians comprise less than two percent of the mainly Muslim population of 252 million people.
“Their courage in the face of grave personal risk has laid the foundation for what may become one of Pakistan’s most consequential legal reforms in the arena of human rights and religious freedom.”
Pakistan currently ranks 8th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations where advocacy group Open Doors says it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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