October 22, 2025
By Aitzaz Ibrahim
Police officials confirmed that the victim, identified as Farah, was attacked and killed by her nephew, Ghulam Mursaleen, who slit her throat with a sharp knife. The video of the suspect standing outside his house, holding the murder weapon, a knife, went viral on social media. In the footage, the suspect can be seen with the knife dripping blood while surrounded by people from the neighborhood. He is saying, “Tum logon ko nahin pata is nay ‘tauheen-e-risalat’ ki hai” (You people don’t know, she committed blasphemy.)”Several residents tried to apprehend the suspect, and some even beat him before the police arrived at the scene. Responding to the emergency call, police managed to control the situation and arrested the suspect along with the murder weapon.
According to details Ghulam Mursaleen, traveled from Multan to Gujranwala to meet his aunt. The victim, Farah, was married and had two children — a 12-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. Following the incident, Farah’s husband filed a formal complaint, upon which a case was registered at the People’s Colony Police Station under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
According to police sources who spoke to Voicepk, initial investigations suggest that the killing stemmed from a personal dispute, and not as the suspect tried to make people believe, religious motives. The suspect allegedly invoked blasphemy claims after the murder to mislead investigators and manipulate public emotions.
A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that so far, no evidence has been found indicating any act of blasphemy by the victim. “The preliminary investigation confirms that the murder was the result of a personal grudge. The suspect later attempted to disguise the motive by making false religious allegations,” the officer said.
The police team recovered the weapon from the scene, while the victim’s body was sent to the District Headquarters Hospital Gujranwala for post-mortem examination. In Pakistan, blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue, and incidents of killings over allegations of blasphemy occur frequently.
An investigative report by Fact Focus, a news website known for publishing data-driven investigations, revealed that more than 400 young men and women in Pakistan are currently facing trials under blasphemy and religious defamation laws. The report claims that a majority of these cases are fabricated and linked to an organized network that manipulates such allegations for personal or financial gain.
According to the Fact Focus report, this network — referred to as the “Blasphemy Business Gang” — allegedly involves a group of lawyers, certain officials from the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing, and private individuals. The report alleges that these groups use “honey trap” tactics to entrap young social media users, leading to false blasphemy charges against them.
The investigation by Fact Focus further highlights that the exploitation of blasphemy laws has become a growing concern in Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can result in mob violence, social ostracization, or, as in this case, fatal consequences.