Engr Muhammad Ali Mirza sent on 7-day remand in blasphemy case

Court directs FIA to complete interrogation and present accused again on September 19

A Rawalpindi court on Friday granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a seven-day physical remand of Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza Jehlami, a controversial religious scholar, in a high-profile blasphemy case.

According to Express News, Senior Civil Judge Waqar Hussain Gondal granted the remand after the FIA produced the accused under strict security at the Rawalpindi district courts.

The court directed the FIA to complete the interrogation and present the accused again on September 19. Following the court’s order, the FIA team departed with the accused to continue their investigation.

Mirza was initially detained last month by Jhelum police under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). He was later moved to jail before being handed over to the FIA following the registration of a blasphemy case.

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The FIR, filed at the Jhelum City Police Station, alleges that a video circulating online—originally posted to Mirza’s YouTube channel—contains blasphemous remarks about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and a misinterpretation of Surah al-Nisa. The complainant claims the video is offensive and in violation of Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy laws.

The case includes charges under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which mandates the death penalty for defiling the name of the Prophet (PBUH), and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which targets content inciting sectarian or interfaith hatred.

Section 295-C of the PPC states that "whoever, whether spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by imputation, innuendo or insinuation, direcetly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) shall be punished with death and shall be liable to fine".

Section 11 of PECA pertains to the preparation and spread of any information through any vertical that motivates interfaith, sectarian or racial hate shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of upto seven years and or also a fine.

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Mirza is a well-known online figure with over three million YouTube subscribers. He also heads the Qur’an-o-Sunnat Research Academy in Jhelum, which has now been sealed by local authorities. No official reason has been provided for the move.

This is not the first time Mirza has faced such allegations. In May 2020, when he was charged on allegations of making derogatory comments about other religious scholars. He was later released on bail.

He was charged with blasphemy in 2023 over comments about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his perceived stance on the Ahmadi community. Those charges were ultimately dropped.

Blasphemy remains one of the most sensitive and controversial issues in Pakistan, with human rights organisations regularly urging the government to prevent the exploitation of these laws for personal or political gain.