Renowned religious scholar Engineer Mirza Muhammad Ali, who was arrested in a blasphemy case, was transferred to Adiala Jail on Thursday. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) handed him over to jail authorities after concluding the initial legal process, Express News reported.
Sources revealed that a case against Mirza has been registered at the NCCIA’s Rawalpindi office under charges of blasphemy and violations of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). Officials have not yet confirmed whether further charges will be filed, though investigations are said to be ongoing.
Religious scholar was initially taken into custody last month by the Jhelum police under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). He was later shifted to jail, before being handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after the registration of a formal complaint.
Read More: Engr Muhammad Ali Mirza sent on 7-day remand in blasphemy case
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".
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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.
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 also 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.
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