Pakistan blasphemy laws target religious minorities, report says

A report by the UK-based newspaper The Asian Lite indicates that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws expose religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis, to prosecution, imprisonment, and mob violence.

While the state has not carried out an execution specifically for blasphemy, the legal framework allows for death sentences and prolonged imprisonment. The laws also include specific restrictions on the Ahmadiyya community, such as prohibitions on identifying as Muslims or referring to their places of worship as mosques.

The report highlights several cases, including Christian teenager Nabeel Masih, who was imprisoned from 2016 to 2021, and Nadeem James, who was sentenced to death in 2017. It also notes the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman whose death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Other cited incidents include Hindu teacher Notan Lal, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022 following a false accusation, and a recent report of a Christian man, Kamran Masih, whose property was allegedly attacked by a mob in Punjab province following an accusation.