Fear and loathing for Pakistan’s bloggers
been the abduction in January of the six prominent bloggers, whose websites were critical of the army’s operations in Balochistan and the tribal areas. Not only were they abducted, they were accused of blasphemy by pro-army elements.
“In Pakistan, being accused of blasphemy is enough. That itself can get someone killed today or maybe some time from now. It’s a death sentence that hangs on your head waiting for someone to execute it,” said a rights activist who didn’t want to be named.
Some rights activists, who asked not to be identified because of fear for their lives, said the bloggers were only criticising social injustices and identifying ills in Pakistan’s powerful establishment, and their material was not intended to hurt any religious beliefs.
This month, Islamabad high court justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui – one of the country’s most notorious judges who was also counsel for Mumtaz Qadri – ordered blasphemous content removed from social media and broke down in tears while issuing his ruling. His dramatics worked.
The government had to comply, and none other than Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement that blasphemers would be dealt with an iron hand.
Siddiqui, however, appears to have a hidden agenda – he is being investigated by the Supreme Judicial Council for corruption and misuse of power. “Now no one will be able to touch him,” a leading lawyer commented.
Soon after, the parliament passed a resolution condemning blasphemous material and authorised a special committee to suggest measures to block “sacrilegious and blasphemous” content on social media.
Prime Minister Sharif said he expected daily updates from officials and told them to contact international social media platforms, such as Facebook, to seek their cooperation. The government has requested help from Interpol to trace the sources of such content.
In all this, the biggest victim has been free speech. Under the garb of religion, free speech is being stifled in Pakistan. A growing online community that was gaining importance because of the self censorship practised by mainstream media, is now also being silenced.
“It is a tragedy of our own making,” said Salahuddin. blasphemy cases were lodged till 2016. A majority are against Muslims, followed by around 150 Christians and two dozen Hindus. cases were reported between
1927 and 1986.
Only one case reached the stage of judgment. A mentally unstable person was sentenced to death by a sessions court but the HC quashed the sentence. In 2014, the Lahore high court upheld the death sentence given by a lower court to Aasia Noreen, a Christian woman.