The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued directives to the federal and provincial governments to take immediate action against blasphemy on social media, including the prevention of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the holy Quran, and all sacred personalities.
The court, in its 16-page detailed judgement, further ordered the immediate termination of all types of VPNs, the registration of all social media websites, and the establishment of special courts nationwide, similar to NAB and Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs). It also ordered the appointment of dedicated judges for these courts, the creation of a special wing within the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to combat blasphemy, and the establishment of a Counter Blasphemy Department (CBD) modeled after the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
Furthermore, the court instructed the observance of International Islamophobia Day as the "Day of Honour for the Prophet" every year on March 15.
The court issued these guidelines after approving all related petitions filed by Umar Nawaz and Aamir Zafar. A detailed 16-page judgment was released regarding the petitions, which sought to curb the growing campaign of blasphemy on social media and called for strict actions.
In the ruling, Justice Abdul Aziz issued instructions to the federal and Punjab governments, the FIA, the PTA, and the Ministry of Interior (MoI), urging them to identify NGOs that support the publication or uploading of such content under the guise of freedom of expression.
The court also directed meetings with social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube to inform them about the strong sentiments of the Muslim community and demand the immediate removal of such offensive posts. The FIA's Cybercrime Wing was directed to be empowered with more resources and funding. The court also recommended including material in the educational curriculum to encourage children to use social media positively.
The judgment stressed that the Pakistani state must play an active role in ending the rising trend of blasphemy on social media, with the PTA conducting awareness campaigns by uploading positive videos. Furthermore, individuals committing blasphemy who have mental health issues should be treated, and preventive measures must be taken to avoid incidents like the Sialkot tragedy, Gojra incident, Shanti Nagar, and the killing of the Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot.
The court recommended the formation of Expert Councils of scholars at the divisional and district levels to prevent vigilante justice and ensure that suspects are swiftly detained, followed by transparent investigations. Cases should then be formally registered and legal action taken.
The court expressed strong dissatisfaction with the role of state institutions and directed the PTA to develop an immediate mechanism to remove blasphemous material from social media platforms. It also ordered that bloggers involved in such crimes who have fled abroad should be brought back to face legal action.
The detailed judgment has been sent for immediate implementation to the federal and provincial governments, chief secretaries, relevant ministries, FIA, PTA, the MoI, and social media companies.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ