December 29, 2025
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
An additional sessions’ court in Lalian on December 23, sentenced an Ahmadi man to life imprisonment on charges related to blasphemy, marking the latest development in a case that has travelled from local courts to the country’s highest judicial forum and sparked nationwide controversy.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Lalian handed down a life sentence to Mubarak Ahmad Saani under Section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code, while also awarding him three years’ imprisonment under Section 298-C. The court ordered that both sentences would run concurrently. Saani, who was on bail at the time of the verdict, was taken into custody and handed over to jail authorities.
However, the court acquitted him of charges framed under Sections 7 and 9 of the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) Act, 2011.
The case dates back to December 2022, when Chenabnagar police registered an FIR on the complaint of a local religious activist, Muhammad Hassan Muawiya. The FIR accused Saani, the principal of Madrassa-tul-Hifz — an Ahmadi educational institution — of printing and distributing copies of the Holy Quran with what the complainant described as “altered translations”.
The FIR invoked Sections 295-B and 298-C of the PPC, along with provisions of the Punjab Holy Quran Printing and Recording Act. At a later stage, sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act were also added, though their inclusion became a matter of legal dispute.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offence was linked to an event held on March 7, 2019, at the Nusrat Jehan Girls’ College ground in Chenabnagar, where prize copies of the Holy Quran were distributed to students who had memorised it. The complainant maintained that he had been pursuing the matter for several years and had earlier approached the Lahore High Court, which in March 2019 directed authorities to take action against those involved in the publication of the material which he claimed was disputed.
Arrest and trial
Saani was arrested on January 7, 2023, and remained incarcerated for over a year, initially in Jhang jail and later in Faisalabad. His bail pleas were rejected by the trial court as well as the Lahore High Court, prompting him to approach the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
In February 2024, the apex court granted him post-arrest bail and struck down the charges under Sections 295-B and 298-C, along with Section 9(1) of the 2011 Act, observing that the case did not warrant continued detention. The order was uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website on February 7, 2024, and Saani was released shortly thereafter.
The decision triggered strong reactions from religious groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, which organised protests and launched a campaign criticising the ruling. The Punjab government subsequently filed a review petition before the apex court.
During the review proceedings, the Supreme Court sought opinions from the Council of Islamic Ideology and several religious institutions to examine whether the judgment conflicted with Islamic injunctions. After hearing arguments and reviewing submissions, the court reserved its decision in May 2024 and issued a detailed judgment on July 24.
In its ruling, the court reiterated earlier constitutional interpretations, including precedents set in Zaheeruddin vs The State, reaffirming that while Ahmadis are subject to legal restrictions, they retain the right to privately profess and practise their faith within the confines of the law.
Paragraph 42 of the judgment — which discussed the “privacy of the home” and private religious practice — became a focal point of criticism. Several political leaders and bar associations publicly condemned the ruling, while debates in the National Assembly saw lawmakers accuse the judiciary of overreach.
The controversy intensified amid reports of rising violence against members of the Ahmadi community. Between March and July 2024, at least four Ahmadis were killed in separate targeted attacks across Punjab, incidents rights groups linked to escalating hate speech and religious polarisation.
Amid continued pressure, the Supreme Court in August 2024 accepted further pleas by the federal government and issued a short order striking out what it described as “objectionable portions” of the earlier judgment. The detailed reasoning for that order has yet to be released, fuelling concerns among minority rights advocates about its potential implications for pending cases involving Ahmadis.
Criticism
The move has created a division on social media with many people criticising the punishment.
Life imprisonment handed to Mubarak Saani for keeping Quran and teaching it. Welcome to Maryam Nawaz, newly developed Punjab, where reading Allah’s scripture can land you in Jail. pic.twitter.com/xiAL9ViswQ
— Ali Raza (@shezanmango) December 26, 2025
🚨State Sponsored Persecution of Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan
• Mubarak Ahmad Sani was sentenced to life imprisonment for distributing Holy Quran in Islamic Republic of Pakistan pic.twitter.com/R1LGKcEQKM
— I b r a h e e m (@Ibraheeeeem92) December 25, 2025
LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR FAITH!
It is a crime for an #Ahmadi man to read the Qur’an in #Pakistan.
On Dec 24, 2025, a #Pakistani court sentenced Mubarak Ahmad Saani, an #Ahmadi Muslim, to life imprisonment for possessing and reciting the Holy Qur’an.@KashifMD @mukhal1d6 1/ pic.twitter.com/0T9rwQJcpX
— Petter Brett (@BrettPetter) December 27, 2025
Legal observers say the trial court’s latest verdict highlights the widening gap between superior court interpretations and outcomes at the lower judiciary level, where judges often operate under intense societal and political pressure.
With Saani now back behind bars following his conviction by the sessions court, the case is expected to return to the appellate courts, setting the stage for yet another legal battle in a matter that has already become emblematic of Pakistan’s fraught intersection of law, religion and minority rights.