‘It looked like setup’: Christian family in Pakistan framed in fake blasphemy case

Islamabad, July 15 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation expressed grave concern over the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, alleging that accusations are increasingly being weaponised to settle scores, seize property, and target minorities in the country.

According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), a dangerous pattern resurfaced in Karachi on July 9 after a desecrated page of the Quran was allegedly mailed to a shop along with photographs of a Christian man, Azeem Javaid, and his mother. The incident quickly triggered public outrage, with angry crowds gathering at the scene, pelting stones at police, and leaving Christian families trapped inside their homes.

Condemning the incident, the rights body said, “This wasn’t just spontaneous outrage. It looked like a setup. Why would someone send a burnt Quran page along with their own photo and ID?”

“No one would deliberately implicate themselves in such a serious offence,” the VOPM quoted one source close to the family as saying.

The rights body noted that the incident appeared to be a calculated attempt to frame Javaid, potentially driven by a personal or financial dispute.

“This is the problem with Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Accusations don’t need proof to spark violence. They don’t even need logic. They just need an audience. The Karachi incident closely mirrors what happened in Jaranwala in 2023. There, fake blasphemy allegations led to the destruction of churches and Christian homes. Mobs acted first. Courts caught up later — sometimes too late,” the VOPM stated.

“In both cases, the state responded only after tensions boiled over. That’s not governance — that’s crisis management,” it added.

Last week, the VOPM warned that Pakistan’s blasphemy landscape has entered a more dangerous and complex phase, with data from 2023 to 2026 documenting a marked deterioration. The rights body said that the trend is marked by a rise in blasphemy cases, escalating mob violence, and an alarming shift towards digitally driven accusations that are harder to verify and easier to weaponise.

“The numbers alone are telling. Around 213 cases were recorded in 2024, rising further in 2025 to an estimated 250. Early figures from 2026 suggest the trend is continuing. Alongside this increase is a persistent pattern of mob violence, including at least five killings in 2024 and multiple incidents already in 2026. These are not isolated episodes — they reflect a systemic failure to contain both legal misuse and vigilante enforcement,” the VOPM highlighted.

Raising alarm over the worsening situation, the rights body said that while Pakistan’s blasphemy laws have long been controversial, the misuse has become increasingly “organised and widespread”.

“What was once misuse is now becoming more organised and widespread. Fake or manipulated online content, planned entrapment, and lack of accountability have turned accusations into a weapon. Without stronger legal protections, real consequences for mob violence, and stricter evidence standards, this cycle will continue,” the VOPM noted.

–IANS

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