October 27, 2025
Staff Report
LAHORE
A local magistrate court in Peshawar has sent a blasphemy accused to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
The accused was arrested by Gulbahar Police on October 25 after an FIR was registered against him under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which pertains to the “use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).”
According to the FIR, the accused entered a mosque in the Nishtarabad area during prayer time, grabbed the microphone, and announced three times that he was “the apostle of Allah.” Worshippers at the mosque apprehended him on the spot and handed him over to the police after a brief commotion.
The complainant, Sajidullah, who runs a biryani shop nearby, and and been present in the mosque, told Voicepk that the accused must be around 30 years old.
“He was accompanied by his father, who pleaded that his son is mentally challenged and that they had come to Peshawar for treatment,” Sajidullah said. “But people did not believe him because the accused looked normal to us. Some of us beat him, but a few intervened and handed him over to the police before things got worse.”
Police officials said the accused is originally from Dir district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but his family has been residing in Lahore for the past 15 to 20 years. Sub-Inspector Akhtar Munir, who is investigating the case, stated that the man works as a labourer and “appeared normal prima facie.”
When asked whether the police sought a medical evaluation to verify the father’s claim about his mental condition, the investigator said that a medical assessment can only be carried out on the court’s direction. “The court has not issued any such order yet,” he said.
Legal experts, however, point out that law enforcement agencies are obligated to ensure that the mental health of an accused in a blasphemy case is examined when there are clear indications of instability. The Pakistan Penal Code, under Section 84, protects individuals of unsound mind from criminal liability if they are incapable of understanding the nature of their act.
The Lahore High Court held in a 2022 judgment that when investigating an offence under Chapter XV of the Pakistan Penal Code (such as blasphemy laws), the investigating officer “should determine whether the accused is of sound mind. He must apply to the competent forum for his psychiatric evaluation if he suspects mental illness.”
Human rights groups have long criticized the lack of such safeguards in blasphemy investigations. The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), in its report, expressed concern over the growing misuse of blasphemy laws and the failure to protect mentally ill persons accused under these provisions. The Commission urged that in the case of blasphemy accusations, “all first responders should also receive training to recognize any signs of potential mental illness(es) in the accused.”
Rights activists note that those accused of blasphemy—regardless of the outcome—face grave risks even in custody. In several instances, mobs have attacked police stations or courthouses demanding extrajudicial punishment. In May 2024, a man accused of blasphemy was lynched in Sargodha after being dragged from his home by a mob. Earlier, in February 2023, a similar incident in Nankana Sahib left one man dead after police were overpowered by protesters. In 2021, a Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha Kumara, was beaten to death and set on fire by a mob in Sialkot over blasphemy allegations—one of the deadliest such incidents in recent years.
According to Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) data, more than 2,000 people have been accused of blasphemy in Pakistan since 1987, with dozens killed in extrajudicial attacks before trials could conclude.