Pakistan

Zaid Hamid sentenced to 8 years, 1,000 lashes in Saudi Arabia: report

The news could not be confirmed by the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh or the Foreign Office

Web Desk July 01, 2015

PHOTO: Zaid Hamid's Pictorial Blog

Pakistani analyst and commentator Zaid Hamid has been sentenced for eight years in jail and 1,000 lashes by a Saudi court for criticising the Saudi government, according to local media reports. However, the news has not been corroborated by the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh or the Foreign Office.

Earlier, Hamid was arrested during a private visit to the Kingdom with his wife. He was apparently taken into custody after making statements against the Saudi government.

On June 26, the Foreign Office confirmed Hamid had been arrested in Saudi Arabia.

Read: Zaid Hamid arrested in Saudi Arabia

“Our embassy in Riyadh has informed us that Mr Zaid Hamid was arrested about two weeks ago. Since then, the embassy has been working with the local authorities to get consular access,” Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah had told a news briefing in Islamabad.

“Due to the efforts of the embassy, his wife was able to talk to him. Again, due to the efforts of the embassy, his wife will be able to meet with him on 30 June,” he said without giving further details.

In 2013, a former aide who left Hamid’s organisation accused him of being on the payrolls of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency to wage psychological operations against those opposed to the Pakistani security establishment.

COMMENTS (108)

M Naeem Afridi | 9 years ago | Reply his speeches having the most truth, he has been defined the enemies of Islam and Pakistan, he predicated the role of Pakistan for the success of Islam. zh tries to trained the pakistani youth according to ideology of pakistan and this s not spreading of hatred. if following the ideology of pakistan is hatred then i ask everyone of you that why did we got pakistan, what are the obejectives of creating pakistan. we should not ignore the role of pakistan for islam and that is what zh teaches and convey in his speeches. his arrest and sentenced in S.A is great tragedy for every pakistani. i heartedly share my grief with his family and every pakistani who are waiting to hear his speach. May ALLAH Almighty protect him! Aameen!

abdul basit | 9 years ago | Reply m totally confused who iz actually zh m confused weather he iz gd for muslim ummah weather he petriotic or not.some people sketchs his picture like a hero some like a villan. i don't knnow he iz right or what iz wrong??

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daniyal | 9 years ago | Reply Saudi army never had the strength to fight its own wars. If we don't wish to fight your wars for you anymore, then stop crying and pick a gun and do your work yourself. If talking against a government is a crime then arrest Dubai's berucracy for talking against Pakistan. One can easily understand the mind level of Saudia, they can't be a man by themselves and ask for others help and when they deny it, they start threatening others. Stop hiding under America's shadow and be a man

kkt | 9 years ago | Reply He can only freely critisize european countries in europe and not in any muslim ciuntry in world.

Anil choudhary | 9 years ago | Reply I have heard This Zahil will get 1200 Lashes provide he does not cry in pain , if he cries in pain his number of lashes will get multiplied by 100 for every cry but if he laughs and says " may glory Of narender Modi , may glory of Hindustan , may glory of the King of Saudi Arabia then his sentence will be abetted by one day for his every glorification n proclamation ☝️

Nazli | 9 years ago | Reply All Pakistanis need to understand this...... Imprisonment and lashes to a Pakistani in a foreign country means international disgrace to Pakistan. Would they have imprisoned an Iranian, an Indian of an American? I think not! I am amazed that some Pakistanis are sounding jovial about thus news. I personally think ZH is a nut case, but I will stand by his right of free speech. Have some self respect people, and put pressure on your calloused government to extradite a fellow Pakistani. 1000 lashes is death sentence.

Isfahan | 9 years ago | Reply ZH arrest and lashing came as a surprise to me , however his stupidity did not come to me as a surprise . When you are in foreign land you do do things as you do in Pakistan . All aha does not give common sense in charity , and then this guy was no where near that .

NVK | 9 years ago | Reply Zaid Hamid got a a befitting punishment for all the conspiracy theories and hatred that he'd been preaching about. In any case, it is sad that Pakistan has this unfortunate situation in which just about anybody and everybody who does not have a job becomes a security analyst. Zaid Hamid is one such character, whose reality is nothing more than that of a common thug who wears a garb of security analyst. He only gains popularity by preaching his "Pakistan in a state of war" theories rather than educating people about "Pakistan in a state of manufacturing Terrorists" theories. While Pakistan itself has no self respect left, Saudi Arabia does. It is because of this that they decided to not tolerate his nonsense and went ahead and punished him for his stupid comments against Arabs.

Salaam | 9 years ago | Reply Arresting him and punishing him means another attack on Pakistan's sovereignity and dignity

a | 9 years ago | Reply @Adnan Siddiqi: I apprently clicked Recommend on your comment. So just "undo"ing at as your comments usually are hate filled propaganda and shows your mental retardation. E.T: Please publish my comment

Asif | 9 years ago | Reply @rajesh: Ha ha good one

indialover | 9 years ago | Reply Hey, Pakistani friends. Arrange for his freedom. NOW. We miss this joker already.

zf | 9 years ago | Reply @Adnan Siddiqi: And when did Saudi govt become a supporter of democracy in Pakistan or elsewhere? And what you said about Niazi is complete gibberish. If he had ulterior motives, he wouldn't have asked for a JC. Get your facts right Siddiqi boy!

Yasin | 9 years ago | Reply Good riddance.

leela4fun | 9 years ago | Reply Forget kaum ki beti, Aafia Siddiqui. Free the 'kaum ka beta' who was working on the khilafat-e-rashida, muslim ummah's ghazwa-e-hind project. Yakeen kejiyae, KSA should realize that Pakistan is an atimi takat and will not take dictation from others.

Sadam Hussain | 9 years ago | Reply I just wonder, which sharia is based on a brutal system of giving such a hard penalty for a few words of speech ? Is it that real sharia or man made sharia of puppet saudi govt ??

SK | 9 years ago | Reply He is a real Muslim and fight for Muslim Ummah lashes not on ZH but on muslim ummah he is a real islamic soldier. May Allah help him shame on Saudis shame shame shame saudis do not look at the Ghaza and nor berma They only see who has the real spirit of islam, millions of shame on saudi Qazi and saudi establishment Salam to Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid The current islamic hero

Babloo | 9 years ago | Reply I hear that he has been ordered 'extra 100 lashes' for claiming pakistanis are descendants of arabs.

monu tripathi | 9 years ago | Reply @Adnan Siddiqi: u r fabricated

Hasan Askari | 9 years ago | Reply Following plans have been on hold because of this unfortunate incident 1- Pakistan flag on Delhi 2- Zardari and MQM facing sharia court 3- Ghazwa Hind 4- Pakistan army becoming Ummah's force 5- Revolution Activities will resume once ZH is out

Insuraati | 9 years ago | Reply Pakistan shouldn't wait for others to do our dirty work. If ZH is misguiding others then we shd have the courage and judicial system to punish him.

kk | 9 years ago | Reply The time has come that KSA has to realize and re-think about the govt structure and biased laws , they exercise against any voice. I got amazed reading comments revealing pleasure for the Indians. I dont know what made them happy. We never realized that ZH has been that much true about the dual faces of Indians and that ZH has been a pain in for long time. ZH was and is right that Muslim Ummah has to emerge stronger. Indian attrocities in Kashmir have re-written the history of inhuman behavior and look at that while claiming the but actually pseudo democracy. All such pride Indians also have been dying to go to KSA, GCC for jobs and making money for decades. They have been accusing laws of GCC & KSA and suddenly started appreciated KSA sentence about ZH. Wow ............mates

Mirza Ghalib | 9 years ago | Reply @IGK IGK: Arresting a diplomat and arresting a self proclaimed analyst are two very different things... It is entirely his own fault that has landed him in this situation. Why does he think that commenting on another country's political matters is his problem? Whilst I agree that the punishment is extremely out of proportion, and also know that he will be out soon as well, it is good to teach him a lesson. He should stop talking about all this "ummat hi takat etc etc" and keep to himself.

Maqbool Bhat | 9 years ago | Reply 8 years of no comedy :-(

SHOAIB | 9 years ago | Reply Great job KSA :)

prem | 9 years ago | Reply ZH's Butt - The next Picasso in making. Any collectors interested in this masterpiece contact KSA jail authorities for the Premier.

afia | 9 years ago | Reply @Dan: lashes have been considered a part of islamic punishments for years...now everyone is gonna say it 'zulam'....offcourse, 1000 lashes is zulam... no matter what he said... it just doesn't justify anything...

IGK IGK | 9 years ago | Reply Shame on Saudi government. How can they arrest some one visiting the country on Umra? If ZH was anti Saudi, he could have been denied VISA. This is not the way to arrest some one. Most shameful is that Pakistani government and establishment are keeping silent. If Pakistan has any self respect, she should send clear warning to Saudis. Remember US arresting India diplomat ? Americans were made to bite dust by India. Personally I am not a great admirer of ZH. However, injustice has been done to him and he needs national support. Can Saudis dare doing something similar to any Iranian ?

Broadsword | 9 years ago | Reply When will Pakistan realise what it is doing to itself? I've never met such an intelligent and warm people whose brains and human qualities just go "pooff" when it comes to anything to do with India!

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply @abc: exactly my point.

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply Dont like the guy but Pakistan should not allow him to be prosecuted by KSA. This is nonsense.

Asif | 9 years ago | Reply I think without going into details of his crime in SA the 8 years sentence is a bit too harsh, they could add up some more lashes though.

Blue Topee | 9 years ago | Reply @MK: Mahboob Khan I totally agree with what you write. If you and I can agree with the source, it is high time the world realizes, and more importantly acts. One of the reasons why the world is facing such a terrible time is what you correctly write.

Ibrahim Khalilulah | 9 years ago | Reply @pk: He deserved it....he wont even think of going to Saudia not even for Hajj when he returns after his jail time. And Im sure he wont come up on talk shows and talk about day dreams of unity and all the rubbish. Saudis have shown him the mirror that how do they look at him.

One Person | 9 years ago | Reply @Singh: Not funny Mr.Singh.

JA | 9 years ago | Reply Dear Saudis! only eight years are not enough, please keep him forever

Ch. Allah Daad | 9 years ago | Reply There is a lesson for all those who bash our democracy and freedom of speech. This is the biggest difference between a democratic government and a monarchy. Our democratic government should get him back safely and hope he would never speak against democracy and never ever work again for dark forces.

AK BOB | 9 years ago | Reply I am sad !!!! Will miss my daily dose of ZH style comedy.

Cosmo | 9 years ago | Reply "Hinduon ka katl karengey" : these are zaid hamid's exact words. He deserves not to be counted as an human being. I also remember him saying "we are the decedents of Arabs. Now that is funny!!

jagmohan | 9 years ago | Reply @Gullu Butt......your comment is quite apt that one should think 10 times before going to S.Arabia,despite it is sacred land.And in case of Mr.Zaid it was must because he has loud mouth and went there with his family.Really very sad situation,but Saudi laws and implementation is strict and unpardonable,even in face of home government intervention. Still most sad thing there is dual punishment,an eight years jail and 800 lashes,god save his life after lashes and give more life to return back safely after eight years.We wish him well and do his good work of ummah millat etc.

Insaaf | 9 years ago | Reply @AW: Yes u can criticize. But not on their soil.

Khadda ki Lathi | 9 years ago | Reply Loyalty pays but not really. There is a Punjabi expression Hoor Choopo (have fun). Though not the correct translation.

Prada | 9 years ago | Reply Ouch,ouch,ouch.... <1000 times>. Year 2023: Zaid Hamid: "The leaders of the civilized world are the Al-Saud Family. The world needs to subject to them. Inshallah, the flag of Saudi Arabia will fly on Lal Qila !"

Prada | 9 years ago | Reply @chengez k: Guess what? He didn't. Perhaps, this man got what was coming to him.

Izaj | 9 years ago | Reply @Ashraf: RAW, Moussad, and CIA, no less.

Skhan | 9 years ago | Reply We may not agree with ZH and his strong over certain groups/people but he is still Pakistani citizen and FO and Govt. should work with KSA to get him released on "persona non grata". The bad part of it is he does not have many friends in current Pakistani govt, in fact he's been calling them all sort of things in his shows ..

Babloo | 9 years ago | Reply Thousand lashes !!! Have pity. Make it 999.

Gullu Butt | 9 years ago | Reply @Adnan Siddiqi: Saudi Arabia has no right for lashing or imprisoning any Muslim who is there to perform Umra.This is a shameless act. Why can't they take criticism. By the way Adnan Siddiqi what color of topi do you wear. This Lal Topi term is used by Indians for Zaid Hamid.

Gullu Butt | 9 years ago | Reply I will think 10 times before travelling to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi's have no right lashing ad imprisoning someone who had gone there for Umrah.

shoka | 9 years ago | Reply saudi government is tyrant and producer of daesh thats why they are only punishing and killing weak innocent people

Khan | 9 years ago | Reply He must have spoken truth which Saudis didn't like. See that's how Saudia is. I am currently living and would prefer to live in any western country rather than KSA where you don't have freedom to do anything. 1000 lashes? A normal person can't even bear more than 100 and will die so why didn't they give him a death sentence straight?

Roy | 9 years ago | Reply thank you Saudi Arabia . You have done the right thing.

Crystal clear | 9 years ago | Reply That should be enough to take the air out of his hot balloon 'Ummat-e-Musalman.'

insan | 9 years ago | Reply Why can't we get the the true facts? Number of lashes being being reported is 1000-1200. Don't we have the right to know the exact number?

Malik Tariq | 9 years ago | Reply Serves him right. He has been spreading hatred and enticing people to rebellion and violence.

Abhilash93 | 9 years ago | Reply Ghazwa-E-Hind postponed for 8 more years.

Basit | 9 years ago | Reply Brave Aafia Brave Zaid hamid i support him for criticizing and funding terrorism in Pakistan these arabs will never see Pakistan rising i hate them and Pak army should interfere to release him

saleemullah | 9 years ago | Reply It must be known that the regime (al - saud) does not belong to the areas as included in SA, Sauds, are from Kuwait. I mean ! They are invaders in holy land & keeping the system like old time invaders.

saleemullah | 9 years ago | Reply At least , he is a pakistani & very welknown media personality. so must not be left alone in a country , where judicial system never listen any one except shahi farman.

Sajid Khan | 9 years ago | Reply It is time to Nuke the Saudis, now.

Sajid Khan | 9 years ago | Reply It is time to Nuke the Saudis now.

Ali | 9 years ago | Reply 1000 lashes is no laughing matter! Now his rear will be as red as his cap.

Nas | 9 years ago | Reply @MASOOM: Are you kidding me? Its called Free Speech. He had the right to say whatever he wanted in our country. I do not support this guy but are you saying that he should be 'punished' for speaking about Pakistan. He could speak about whoever he wanted and you can't do anything. Of coarse he shouldn't have done that in KSA because its not Pakistan. He should have known that. It was pretty stupid of him.

sabi | 9 years ago | Reply Next political slogan for pti- we will bring zaid hamid back.

abc | 9 years ago | Reply Shame on Saudi government. How can they arrest some one visiting the country on Umra? If ZH was anti Saudi, he could have been denied VISA. This is not the way to arrest some one. Most shameful is that Pakistani government and establishment are keeping silent. If Pakistan has any self respect, she should send clear warning to Saudis. Remember US arresting India diplomat ? Americans were made to bite dust by India. Personally I am not a great admirer of ZH. However, injustice has been done to him and he needs national support. Can Saudis dare doing something similar to any Iranian ?

Sam Wheat | 9 years ago | Reply Ignorant sand fleas

Mangyan Muk Lee | 9 years ago | Reply It is very sad news.. Please make 8000 lashes and 2 years of jail for him.. He is very important person in Pakistan,

Michael | 9 years ago | Reply Saudi Arabia government is seriously in sane. They are always doing things to people that makes no sense. Their rules and laws suck and I wouldn't visit that country if my life depended on it. Freakin' retards! If I lived there I would take the first opportunity to get out.

Suddenly Dar | 9 years ago | Reply He is clown and not intellectual.

numbersnumbers | 9 years ago | Reply @AW: Hmmm, so Ahmadis have a "human right" to openly criticize their treatment in Pakistan! OR NOT!

Tayyab | 9 years ago | Reply I'm deeply sad about this news. He is a very good voice of Islam and Pakistan

Abu Mahad | 9 years ago | Reply What is Saudi regime? They have ruled by buying people to fight for them with their petro dollar pay checks. Otherwise, they have nothing to save themselves. The recent attack in Yemen is a clear example in which they failed miserably to uproot Houthis. Now, they have become a laughing stock around the world. Anyway, their days are numbered. Inside palace revolution (with thousands of royal princes) will result in the bloodiest civil war in Saudi Arabia that will be unprecedented. It will turn to same land like it was in 1930s, with people walking with their camels and donkeys.

Mahaboob Basha | 9 years ago | Reply Loose talk in a foreign country, that too in Saudi Arabia - dear SA, please give gap of one hour between every hundred lashes. That only the wish of all Pakistanis.

Insaaf | 9 years ago | Reply 8 years of peace and quiet. And a tad bit less spewing of conspiracy theories and hate. Hope he will have time to contemplate and come out as a better person who will talk of humanity and peace instead of war and hatred.

KM(USA) | 9 years ago | Reply A big preacher of Muslim Ummah now tasting the hospitality of KSA.

Sunny | 9 years ago | Reply @wb: You must not know what a Shar`ee Nizaam is if you think Saudia is one.

Sunny | 9 years ago | Reply @pk: What's your problem? Why do you elevate the Saudi government to be "The Muslim 'ummah"?

Jabbar Shah | 9 years ago | Reply And finally there is some lashes will make Zaid Hamid " Banday ka Puttar".

Babloo | 9 years ago | Reply Lashes from the ummah ! He can tirade all life against Hinduism, Hindus and India but one word against Saudis and the form of justice preached by a 6th century Saudi ideology is fast and furious.

Adnan Siddiqi | 9 years ago | Reply @AW: Not in Saudi Arabia you can express against and criticize the Saudi monarchy. Besides since a lot of folks think that the country including the government is being run by Gen. Raheel Sharif, I am sure that the Army would extract it's most valued asset out of the Saudi dungeon soon.

goggi (Lahore) | 9 years ago | Reply Poison kills poison has proved true! Pakistani media gave him all the facilities for his poisonous and hatred-filled rubbish:

AW | 9 years ago | Reply Saudi family is not God that no one can speak against them. The Pakistan government should demand his immediate release. He has not committed any crime. Every human being has the right to express himself and criticize any government.

Rohit | 9 years ago | Reply RAW

Ashraf | 9 years ago | Reply Was RAW in any way involved in this?

Tootoo | 9 years ago | Reply This is wrong. Why can't one speak against some government? Or even leaders? If they want people to stop speaking against them publicly, then meetings should be held with the people and the government as in Islam.

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply Saudi Arabia punishes Zaid Hamid.......now that's rich. Zaid Hamid for the first time must have done something right, to deserve that

Khangee | 9 years ago | Reply Adnan Siddiqi, And your point is?

Singh | 9 years ago | Reply Wow, Gazwa E Hind become Gazwa E 1000 lashes. After this Gazwa he will have monkey butt. LOL

sabi | 9 years ago | Reply Thousand lashes is the remedy to get him realise the benefits of democracy he curse day and night!

Dan | 9 years ago | Reply Just doesn't make sense, what did he do to get such a harsh sentence? I'm not one to argue about his stature as a commentator, as he may have a controversial reputation in Pakistan, but for all I know he's a citizen of my country and this random imprisonment doesn't make sense to me. If this is just because he criticized the Saudi government, our government should do all it can to bring him back, or for what its worth at least demand some transparency into the matter.

Blue Topee | 9 years ago | Reply I pity the man, and people like him, just does not know when to talk, what to talk, and how to talk. A person who comes on news media has to know better. Pakistani news media "anchor" hosts talk so much rubbish, it is amazing. Hope for his sake and his family that he is pardoned or his sentence reduced. Saudi Arabia is not Pakistan.

Arif | 9 years ago | Reply Adnan sahab, Please, don't comment on stuff which you know nothing of.

SuperNeo | 9 years ago | Reply Heartiest congratulation to all peace loving intellectuals and day mourning for Extremists

Chachoo | 9 years ago | Reply Many so called Liberals are infact fake and nothing else. When it serves their purpose then rules are good. Otherwise rules are not good at all. When it comes to Zaid Hamid's arrest then many liberals are appreciating but they are forgetting the fact that he is arrested for his difference of opinion with the Saudi government. Kindly discourage such behavior and we should condemn such act of Saudia at all levels.

JBJ | 9 years ago | Reply He was a motivational speaker. Sad at his fate. Hope he is released.

sabi | 9 years ago | Reply This is revenge of nature-no arrogance no stupidity can go infinitely . Let us see how he loves to live in jail as he says 'we love our job'.

chengez k | 9 years ago | Reply By Deception We Win....Mossad Slogan Poor Zaid Hamid would be now understanding the price of abusing Israel....they get you through your own!!! However, there is Allah all over and if HE wants to save this man then no harm shall come to him.

MS | 9 years ago | Reply I am very sad to hear that again voice of the disagreements has been SHUT but ELITE. I bet you Zaid will have no choice even hiring local so called Qazi will no goa gainst the KINGs. If he has not done anything wrong in the Kingdom then their law is not applied on any citizen. That means Pakistan can capture anyone who has done any crime in Saudi within in Pakistan borders. Very badly plan and voice of justice again SHUT.

rajesh | 9 years ago | Reply According to him, this year Pakistan was to land space ship in moon... instead look where he landed.

Adnan Siddiqui | 9 years ago | Reply I thought ZH was a staunch pro-Jihadi. I wonder what he had to say about the pro-Jihadi Saudi government that they didn't like. Did he say they are not pro-Jihadi enough? Whatever he said, his arrest is a flagrant and abhorrent violation of rights to free speech. The punishment, if true, is grossly disproportionate in the least. But then we are talking about KSA. ET: Please don't publish my comment if you think the comments are being watched by Saudi (or even Pak) establishment. Those lashes hurt.......

Waseem Sarwar | 9 years ago | Reply @Adnan Siddiqi: Zia ul Haq used someone particular to great effect. :p

MASOOM | 9 years ago | Reply This is the government writ not like our beloved country whrere anybody can disgrace country and having no punishment ! as a foreigner he should have respected laws of host country!

Curious George | 9 years ago | Reply Always blabbering and ranting against India and bolstered by thumping up by Pakistan people and establishment emboldened this lal topi to overstep his limits with regards to Saudi Arabia In 2013 he visited India and made hate speeches but got away scot free because tolerant Hindus did not take it as an offence as he was the guest of the country.Now I am sure he will get a lesson for his life from his coreligionist Saudis.

wb | 9 years ago | Reply There you go, Zaid Hamid! You'll get a taste of Shari-e-nizam. Do you still want it in Pakistan? I think, after 1000 lashes, he will forget the phrase: ummat-e-Muslimah.

pk | 9 years ago | Reply At least from now onwards he will not talk high about one Muslim Ummah.

MK | 9 years ago | Reply I charge the Saudi state with exporting terrorist ideology across the muslim world. If anyone is wondering why all this terrorism is happening in the middle east, and 9/11 and all of what happened after, thank one family. The family of Al-Saud. Why send him to jail for freedom of speech, why not just deport him to Pakistan. I would be less worried about ZH, and more worried about a large segment of radicalized Saudis. Saudi went into Yemen, blunder, sentencing of ZH to 8 yrs in Jail another blunder. Get your priorities straight Saudi. Daesh is already amongst you and you're busy sentencing the likes of ZH

Adnan Siddiqi | 9 years ago | Reply One can clearly deduce the intellectual level of Pakistan security establishment. Whoever it has bet on to do its dirty job of destabilizing Pakistan and its nascent democracy has turned out to be a complete loser! It thought that the assorted cast of characters such as this lal topi wala imbecile, Rent-a-Mullah Qadri and the gasbag Niazi were all stallions but they turned out to be nothing but mules and damp squids. Does Lal Topi wala's allies in the security establishment and electronic media have the guts now to raise even so much as a whimper against Saudi Arabia?

mAX | 9 years ago | Reply This may be a nazareyati game-changer

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