February 7, 2025
Staff Report
LAHORE
Fierce condemnation rose across civil society and press bodies, after prominent journalist Munizae Jahangir, was made a target of harassment, trolling and death threats by extremist elements, for her news show on how blasphemy has been made into a racket by criminals.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in a statement on Thursday, February 6, strongly criticized the targeted harassment and trolling, and said that those involved were working against freedom of press and independent voices.
“We stand firmly in solidarity with Munizae Jahangir, who continues to face unjust attacks for her unwavering commitment to truth and justice,” said PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari, in their joint statement. The PFUJ demanded an immediate end to the harassment and trolling of not just Jahangir but all other journalists who were facing similar threats. “We urge the government to take concrete steps to ensure the safety and security of journalists and to hold accountable those responsible for these cowardly acts.”
The PFUJ called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice, and the Interior Minister to intervene in the worrisome and dangerous situation for working journalists and anchors.
Jahangir’s show was aired on Aaj News and delved into the details of how young people were first honey-trapped, then framed under blasphemy charges and then blackmailed.
Based on a January 2024 report by the Punjab Police, and later an investigative report by journalist Ahmad Noorani in July the same year, there are at least 400 young people who are in jail at present under blasphemy charges filed under similar circumstances.
‘Spotlight’ on the families
On February 3, Munizae Jahangir in her TV show Spotlight, and invited the families of three of these jailed persons, to highlight the issues that they had been facing. Two of the mothers shared the harrowing experiences of their sons, who were entrapped by a gang and subsequently incarcerated. One mother recounted how her 19-year-old son was entrapped through a Facebook friend request from a ‘young woman’ supposedly named Eman.
Accepting the request, she said her son chatted with the ‘Eman’ for a few days before being invited to join a WhatsApp group. It was there that the individual shared objectionable images, prompting her son to question her.
‘Eman’ feigned ignorance, asking him to resend the images for her to see. But once he sent the same images, ‘Eman’ blocked him immediately. The screenshots he sent were forwarded to all contacts in the group. A week later, ‘Eman’ reconnected with the son, asking him to share his location so she could send gifts.
The next thing they knew, a group of 10 to 12 individuals, some wearing FIA uniforms, arrived at the family’s residence, arresting the young man. He was taken to the FIA office in Islamabad’s G-11 sector, where he was detained for five days.
The mother alleged that FIA officials coerced her son into signing blank papers, threatening to arrest family members if he refused. The officials and gang members also demanded a Rs 3 million bribe to drop the case. However, the family, struggling to make ends meet, with the father working as a taxi driver, could not afford the hefty sum.
The police special branch has written it its report that there was ‘a gang of some suspicions persons based in Rawalpindi/Islamabad who are trapping simple youth in blasphemy cases and referring their cases to FIA’.
“Reportedly, this gang is the complainant in about 90 percent of blasphemy cases reported to and registered by FIA. A number of men and women are part of this gang which is operated by an individual who poses as worker of a religio-political party. A lawyer is also part of this gang. They have formed an organsiation and are normally operating under its banner,” the police special branch report added.
On February 4, the day after the show, a group of lawyers associated with the gang held a press conference at the Lahore Press Club and then took out a protest demonstration outside. The lawyers condemned Jahangir’s show Spotlight, and rejected the constitution of an inquiry commission ordered by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The order had been released after the affected families of the jailed youth filed petitions. The district bar associations in Abbottabad, Lahore and Islamabad also issued statements rejecting claims of entrapment in blasphemy cases as mentioned in the Punjab police special branch report.
Subsequently, Jahangir began facing a hate campaign on social media, where she was hit with a barrage of tweets and messages, some of them carrying death threats, or ‘dire consequences’.
Above: Screenshots of the online harassment and threats faced by Munizae Jahangir
Meanwhile the lawyers also targeted Barrister Aqeel Malik, who was also a guest on acting as a representative of the government. They slammed him for acknowledging that there had been a misuse of blasphemy laws.
Barrister aMalik, a member of the National Assembly (MNA), is also advisor to the federal law ministry. In the show he had stated that the ‘FIA was investigating whether its officials were allegedly involved in instituting entrapment cases.’
“The government is thoroughly investigating the racket and will bring them to justice,” he had said. He also added that the government was initiating a process for the formation of the commission in the coming week, and that he would recommend to the prime minister to constitute a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the racket allegedly involved in blasphemy cases against these 400 young persons.
Building Pressure
To counter the formation of the inquiry commission, which is meant to probe the instances of the misuse of blasphemy laws, the lawyers’ group are building pressure on the government and has submitted an application to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights. Following this, the group has been invited to attend the committee’s session on February 10.
However after Jahangir’s show an organized hate campaign started, where she began receiving tweets, messages, and death threats.
The fact remains that Jahangir is only one of the many who have been facing such threats and reactions. The incident has highlighted how numerous journalists, activists, lawyers, and judges have been facing threats, whenever they point out the misuse of blasphemy laws in the country.
‘Blasphemy Business’: A Background
The issue of what has now become known as the ‘blasphemy business’, was first revealed in January 2024, by the Special Branch of Punjab Police. A report released by Special Branch revealed that a group was trapping young people in blasphemy cases in an ‘organized manner’.
According to the Special Branch, members of the gang were the complainants in about 90 percent of the cases, which were reported to and subsequently registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The official report revealed that the vast majority of those trapped are in fact Muslim boys and girls who are in their 20s, some even younger.
Following this report, in July 2024, journalist Ahmad Noorani, wrote an indepth story on the Fact Focus website. According to Noorani’s investigations, 400 young individuals are currently languishing in Punjab jails in such blasphemy cases, across the country.
But Noorani’s story did not go unheeded – he faced serious threats from extremist groups.
Trolling and harassment of NCHR
The National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR) in October 2024, published its own comprehensive report on the same issue. The report investigated blasphemy cases from October 2023 to October 2024. The NCHR report revealed that they had initiated an independent inquiry after receiving complaints regarding the entrapment of young individuals on blasphemy charges, from alleged pornographic and blasphemous websites in October 2023.
The investigation found and highlighted a sharp increase in the registration of blasphemy cases during this time frame. Shockingly a majority of the cases were initiated by the FIA’s own Cybercrime Unit, frequently in collaboration with a private entity.
“Young men were reportedly targeted through entrapment tactics involving female operatives using pseudonyms to lure them into blasphemous activities online, resulting in their subsequent arrests. This pattern, which has escalated significantly over time, calls for a comprehensive review of the roles and accountability of both government and private entities involved in such cases,” said the NCHR report.
The organization pushed for the matter to be brought up at the highest level of government and judiciary, adding that it was of great concern that a government entity was involved with private individuals, in apprehending youth in blasphemy cases.
It has urged for the formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), by the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR), to conduct an objective and impartial assessment into the reason behind the exponential rise in blasphemy cases ensuring that adherence to legal procedures has been upheld by investigating agencies.
NCHR recommended that the proposed JIT must comprise officials from the Special Branch, Intelligence Bureau, Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Interior and FIA, and it should investigate the motives and actions of private entities involved in the entrapment and exploitation of individuals accused of blasphemy. In addition, the JIT should probe into the alleged connivance of relevant government officials with private persons in handling blasphemy cases.
After the publishing of this report, NCHR too faced trolling and harassment.
Silencing the Press
When it comes to speaking against the misuse of any law, the ones who get hit first are the journalists, only for doing their job.
In October 2024, 40 families of incarcerated blasphemy suspects, at a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad, called for the federal government to set up an inquiry commission to probe the activities of the ‘blasphemy business group,’ that had entrapped their loved ones in what they claimed were false cases. After a press conference was held by the families of blasphemy suspects, one of the prominent members of the National Press Club, received several calls and threats for allowing the press conference to be held in the club premises.
In the same month, Islamabad based journalist Aizaz Syed also faced a barrage of threats after he broadcast a critical analysis of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a religio-political party whose members have been in the forefront when it comes to acting as complainants in blasphemy cases.
While Syed did not explicitly name the TLP in his commentary, the context made it clear that he was discussing its role in promoting blasphemy-related violence and its extremist agenda. This led to violent reactions from TLP supporters, who have been known for their hardline stance on blasphemy issues. The threats against Syed demonstrate the risks journalists face when they scrutinize powerful political entities with strong ties to extremist religious ideologies.
No one is safe, not even judges!
Journalists are not the only targets in this kind of intimidatory campaign.
In the most recent incident, in February 2025, Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Sardar Ijaz Ishaq faced threats and was the target of a hate campaign by extremist groups after he ordered the setting up of the commission to investigate allegations of the misuse of the blasphemy law.
The IHC issued the order in response to petitions from families of over 100 young individuals booked by the FIA under blasphemy charges for allegedly sharing blasphemous content online.
The petitioners claimed that a gang, involved in the blasphemy business, had honey-trapped their loved ones into sharing such material. They urged the court to establish a commission to investigate the allegations and assess the legitimacy of the FIRs registered by the FIA. The petitioners based their plea on reports by the Punjab Police Special Branch and the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR).
The Tahaffuz Khatme-Nabuwat Forum, the lawyers’ group which is said have links to TLP, among other radical elements, not just rejected the IHC’s order, it also gave a statement on February 4, accusing civil society and journalists of being ‘foreign funded’. This is an age-old allegation by extremist elements against rights activists, however the group also accused them for propagating blasphemy by speaking against the blasphemy laws.
The group also said that the federal government must not form any such commission, and let existing blasphemy cases complete trials in courts.
Almost every time there has been an attempt to shine a light on the issue of misuse of blasphemy laws, there has been a violent reaction by extremist factions, who have resorted to dire threats in an attempt to prevent any accountability or reform regarding blasphemy law practices.
“The government must investigate this racket and hold those (elements) responsible who are misusing religion and destroying young lives,” said Munizae Jahangir. “Threatening journalists is just a way for them to deflect from the crime they are committing and avoid accountability.” Jahangir says that the reason these elements did not want the formation of a commission was because they do not want an investigation on what is actually happening.
Prior to the targeting of the IHC judge, Sindh High Court Justice Iqbal Kalhoro also became target of such intimidation. Justice Kalhoro who was in Karachi at the time, granted bail to eight individuals accused of blasphemy.
The decision, although legal and based on the facts of the case, triggered outrage from hardline groups who believed it to be an affront to their religious sensitivities.
An online hate campaign reportedly led by religious groups emerged, inciting violence against Justice Kalhoro. WhatsApp messages, Facebook screenshots, and posts on X (formerly Twitter), seen by Voicepk, accused the judge of siding with alleged blasphemers and urged the public to “teach him a lesson”. The incident underscored how any judicial decision that appears to challenge the narrative of extremist groups can result in a personal and professional attack.
Even before this, even the prominent judge of Supreme Court, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, (later the Chief Justice of Pakistan) was spared from death threats when he rejected the review petition of Mumtaz Qadri against his death sentence. Khosa was part of the three-member bench which heard Qadri’s petition. Qadri had been sentenced to death for murdering then Punjab Governor Salman Taseer who he claimed had committed blasphemy.
This proves that even the highest-ranking officials in the judiciary are not immune to intimidation when they challenge blasphemy accusations.
Condemnation across board
Right after news spread of Munizae Jahangir’s harassment and trolling by extremist elements, fellow anchors Hamid Mir, Nasim Zehra, Arifa Noor, and Maria Memon denounced the death threats and hate campaign, condemning the alarming trend of harassment against journalists.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also quick to follow, expressing grave concern over reports that individuals and groups with far-right affiliations have threatened members of civil society, only for drawing attention to the entrapment of young people by religious extremists.
“HRCP believes this is an attempt to deflect attention away from the commission proposed by the Islamabad High Court to investigate instances of entrapment through false allegations of blasphemy – a matter already documented by the state,” the organization said in a statement. “We have already written to the Punjab Chief Minister and federal interior minister to express our concern, calling on the provincial and federal governments to take immediate action.”
The Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell vehemently condemned the malicious, defamatory and incendiary social media campaigns by extremist quarters against journalists, civil society activists and members of the judiciary.
In the recent past also, AGHS has stated that it had raised alarm over hate campaigns against the judges of the Sindh and Islamabad High Courts, as well as the NCHR which issued a thorough report into the activities of an alleged blasphemy business operating in Punjab and Sindh.
“We once again express grave concern over the most recent target of this campaign, (HRCP co-chair) Munizae Jahangir, who merely exercised her journalistic duty in discussing the activities of this alleged blasphemy business with a representative of the government on her news show.” The existence of this business has been acknowledged by different government institutions, while efforts are ongoing by the Federal Cabinet to constitute an inquiry commission into its activities, the AGHS said.
The organization said that it has time and again called for state intervention in bids to silence dissent through incitement of hate and vigilante violence under the guise of religion.
“We once again urge for the immediate activation of a high-powered inquiry committee against those responsible for running these campaigns.”
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Cell of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is deeply concerned over the threats hurled at a renowned female anchor person of a private channel in the name of religion and calls upon all state authorities to probe the matter and also provide protection to the anchor person against trolling and threats to her person.
In a statement, PPP Human Rights Cell chief former senator Farhatullah Babar also called upon the human rights bodies and the civil society to raise voice against it and protect the journalist.
“Today it is a female journalist, tomorrow it can be anyone else,” he said.