The ‘blasphemy business’ in Pakistan: a 22-year-old Christian attacked in Lahore
Shahbaz, not his real name, was stabbed by his supervisor after refusing to convert to Islam. He was falsely accused of throwing pages of the Qur‘an in the trash. “This is a worrying trend,” Fr Lazar Aslam tells AsiaNews. An investigation by journalist Ahmed Noorani uncovers a racket based on false accusations involving lawyers, officials and judges. Activists are calling for justice and protection for victims.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – Another young Christian in Pakistan has been attacked following a false accusation of blasphemy. He is currently receiving treatment at a government hospital in Lahore.
The 22-year-old Shahbaz – not his real name – was brutally attacked two days ago by his Muslim supervisor at Subhan Paper Mills, a private company. The reason for this heinous act was the young man's refusal to convert to Islam.
As a result, the supervisor attacked Shahbaz with a blade, trying to kill him, accusing him of throwing pages of the Qur‘an in the trash. The attacker is currently under arrest. Shahbaz’s injuries are very serious, and include a severed aorta.
The latest violent incident underlines the urgent need to address religious persecution – which affects the Christian community through the senseless use of blasphemy laws – and promote tolerance in Pakistan.
Fr Lazar Aslam, a Pakistani Capuchin friar heavily committed to supporting those facing this form of persecution, told AsiaNews that he visited Shahbaz recently.
"I prayed for his speedy recovery and for the well-being of his entire family," he said. “We humbly appeal to the international community to pray for the victims and their families, as well as to raise awareness about the plight of marginalized communities in Pakistan, ensuring that their voices are heard and their rights protected,” he added.
“Unfortunately, making false accusations of blasphemy and harassing weak minority communities have become a disturbing trend in Pakistan. We urge state institutions and responsible individuals to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents and ensure the protection of minority rights,” Fr Lazar explained.
Following the attack, an investigation by a well-known journalist, Ahmed Noorani, on the misuse of blasphemy laws, has come to shed some light on a business scam involving blasphemy.
Three key figures have been unmasked: a High Court justice, Chaudhry Abdul Aziz who once served as a lawyer in the Rimsha Masih case, who resigned citing “personal reasons”; Rao Abdul Rahim, a lawyer who made a career out of blasphemy accusations; and Mudassir Shah, of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), involved in the unjust detention of Abubakar, a YouTuber falsely accused of blasphemy and tortured for three days.
In the latter case, no concrete evidence emerged. Shah even manipulated private messages to build an accusation. In court, the only arguments he used were famous poetic verses, which led Judge Babar Sattar to question the knowledge of the poets cited. Abubakar was eventually freed.
Noorani's investigative report revealed a network of officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lawyers and court staff involved in an actual blasphemy business, paying people to frame others via WhatsApp.
The investigative report published on Fact Focus unmasked this squalid enterprise, showing that more than 400 people had been caught up in this scheme.
A report later described the tragic case of Abdullah Shah, who was wrongly accused and then found beheaded in Bani Gala. And how his father, Aamir Shah, was also targeted and forced into silence.
Noorani's report is set to change the landscape, forcing key figures to resign.
“This has been an ongoing issue, and time and again, human rights activists and CSOs[*] have raised their concerns over the misuse of blasphemy allegations to settle personal scores,” said Kashif Aslam, a human rights activist, speaking to AsiaNews.
Such charges are also used to extort money. The alarming practice involves court officials, investigative agencies, and lawyers. “They call themselves blasphemy vigilantes,” he explained.
This touches “More than 800 cases of blasphemy allegations since 2021 – mainly against Muslims and young adults seeking careers abroad, entrepreneurship, and victims of honey traps – are alarming and eye-opening for the government and law enforcement agencies.”
Such “Targeted and planned cases, using the same patterns and allegations in several instances, are worrisome for religious minorities, who fear for their future. The government should investigate these cases thoroughly and bring the culprits to justice while safeguarding the future of young Muslim victims across the country.”
[*] Civil society organisations.
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