Pakistan: 'Vigilantes' Fuel Increase in Online Blasphemy Cases

Aroosa Khan's son was casually chatting on WhatsApp when he suddenly became the focus of "vigilante" investigators, who accused him of committing blasphemy online—an offence that carries the death penalty in Pakistan.

The 27-year-old is one of hundreds of young men currently on trial in Pakistan, accused of making blasphemous statements in WhatsApp groups or online, a crime for which arrests have surged in recent years.

Many of these cases are being pursued by private "vigilante groups," often led by lawyers and supported by volunteers who scour the internet for offenders, according to rights groups and police.

Image: Jihad Watch

Families of young professionals—doctors, engineers, lawyers, and accountants—claim their relatives were lured into sharing blasphemous content by strangers online before being arrested.

"Our lives have been completely disrupted," Khan told AFP, explaining that her son, whose name has been withheld for safety reasons, was deceived into sharing blasphemous material on the messaging app.

A local police report suggests that financial motives may drive some of these vigilante groups.

One such group has been responsible for the conviction of 27 individuals sentenced to either life imprisonment or death over the past three years.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even baseless accusations can spark public outrage and lead to lynchings.

Though the blasphemy laws date back to colonial times, they were strengthened in the 1980s under dictator Zia ul-Haq, who sought to "Islamicize" the country.

AFP has attended multiple court sessions in Islamabad, where young men are being prosecuted by private vigilante groups and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for allegedly sharing blasphemous content online.

Aroosa’s son was one of them—he had joined a job-seekers WhatsApp group and was contacted by a woman who sent him an image of women with Quranic verses inscribed on their bodies. His mother explained that the woman later denied sending the image and asked him to send it back for clarification. Shortly after, he was arrested and charged by the FIA.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)