450 people in Pakistan have suffered the consequences of fabricated blasphemy charges, often facilitated by the actions of government officials

Image: Jihad Watch

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – In recent years, an Islamist gang in Pakistan has falsely implicated over 450 individuals in blasphemy cases, with five victims reportedly tortured to death while in custody, according to human rights lawyers.

At a press conference on Friday (Jan. 10) in Islamabad, attorneys Usman Warraich, Imaan Hazir-Mazari, and Rana Abdul Hameed revealed that this so-called “blasphemy business group” has wreaked havoc on numerous families, allegedly operating in collusion with federal investigators. The lawyers emphasized that Christians, as frequent targets of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, are particularly vulnerable to such schemes.

The gang reportedly circulates blasphemous content online, then files false charges against individuals while extorting large sums of money from their families, the attorneys said. A report by the Punjab Police's Special Branch last year identified an organized network behind the surge in blasphemy accusations.

Further supporting these findings, an October report from the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) highlighted how innocent individuals, primarily from lower-income or middle-class backgrounds, were entrapped with the involvement of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials.

Warraich disclosed that over 150 victims of this “blasphemy racket” are currently detained in Adiala District Jail, with 170 in District Camp Jail and Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, and 55 in Karachi Central Jail.

The gang allegedly recruits young men and women who lure victims through social media, inviting them to a “safe house” in Islamabad’s G-8 Sector.

“Victims, often honey-trapped by the group, have reported being stripped naked, tortured, and videotaped upon arrival at the house,” Warraich said. “Approximately 25-30 members of this gang serve as plaintiffs, each entrapping over 20 individuals.”

Among the victims were five Muslims, including 22-year-old Fatima Jahangir, who succumbed to brutal torture.

“An orphan boy, Syed Ali Hasnain, was killed in Adiala Jail, while another young man, Syed Abdullah Shah from Rawalpindi, was tortured and murdered in collaboration with the FIA,” Warraich stated. “Fatima Jahangir died in Kot Lakhpat Jail, while 22-year-old Safeer Ullah lost his life in Camp Jail, Lahore.”

Another victim, Suhan Khan, was tortured to death in Karachi Central Jail within just three or four days. Warraich added that the gang celebrates publicly whenever a court denies bail or convicts a victim.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)