Blasphemy in Pakistan

The Pakistan Penal Code outlaws blasphemy (Urdu: قانون ناموس رسالت) against any recognized religion, with punishments ranging from a fine to the death penalty. According to various human rights organizations, Pakistan's blasphemy laws have been used to persecute religious minorities and settle personal rivalries, frequently against other Muslims, rather than to safeguard religious sensibilities.

From 1967 to 2014, over 1,300 people were accused of blasphemy, with Muslims constituting most of those accused. Between 1987 and February 2021, at least 1,855 individuals were charged under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

Although death sentences for blasphemy have been issued on numerous occasions, no one has yet been executed by the order of the courts or government of Pakistan. However, those accused of blasphemy are frequently targeted and killed by angry mobs before any trial can begin.

At least 89 Pakistanis were extrajudicially killed over blasphemy accusations from 1947 to 2021. Among the victims of such killings have been high profile Pakistanis such as Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, and high court justice Arif Iqbal Bhatti, who was slain in his chambers.

According to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, as of early 2021, around 80 people are known to be incarcerated in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, with half of those facing life in prison or the death penalty.