Families of online honey-trapping victims demand inquiry commission to probe “Blasphemy Business Gang”

August 22, 2026

ISLAMABAD

Families of victims framed in fake blasphemy cases held a press conference demanding a judicial inquiry commission to target a “blasphemy business gang” using online honey-traps to lure and falsely accuse young men. Appealing to the government, state institutions, and the judiciary, they called for immediate legal action against the perpetrators, digital fabricators, and female operatives behind the syndicate.

According to government reports, legal relief through bail and acquittal has already been granted to over 120 victims in such cases created by the blasphemy business gang across the country, including Islamabad, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. However, a large number of victims—around 300—in Punjab are still in prisons for an extended period and have not been able to receive the any form of relief or justice.

Speaking to the media, the participants stated that instead of detaining a citizen indefinitely based merely on an allegation, an inquiry should be first conducted into the gang involved in framing young people in such cases. In light of reports from government agencies and various human rights organizations, these cases should be re-examined neutrally from scratch, and where a case does not meet the standards of law, relief should be granted to the victims in accordance with the law, demanded the families.

Participants spoke about the report by the European Commission report, which has said that the misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan was no longer limited to just local-level complaints, in fact, serious concerns have emerged at the international level as well.

The European Commission’s 2026 report regarding Pakistan states that there are reports of the misuse of blasphemy laws, regarding a so-called “Blasphemy Business Group,” the report stated that this network had allegedly trapped more than 800 individuals, mostly young men, through online schemes. It was also mentioned that by April 2026, over 300 falsely accused individuals remained in prison. The report further highlighted that despite existing legal safeguards and SOPs, issues of procedural delay and extrajudicial violence persist. The families of the victims demand that this international concern be taken seriously and that the Government of Pakistan bring the reality of these allegations to light through a transparent, independent, and empowered investigation.

Two years have passed since the Noor Fatima writ petition was filed in August 2024, but according to the participants, they have not yet received any justice for which this constitutional petition was filed.

Following multiple hearings and live streaming of the Noor Fatima writ petition, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan of the Islamabad High Court had ordered the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate the alleged blasphemy business group and related matters. On July 24, 2025, a division bench suspended this order.

As of August 20, 2026, over a year, 392 days have passed since this suspension, yet the matter has not effectively moved forward. During this time, scheduled hearings of the case were also repeatedly canceled. The affected families ask why a constitutional petition concerning the fundamental rights, freedom, and human lives of hundreds of families has been subject to consecutive delays for such a long time.

“Are human lives so cheap?” asked the families. “We expect that the hearing scheduled for September 9 will proceed effectively as normal and that the process of justice will not be unnecessarily delayed due to further postponements or technical reasons.”

Participants also demanded the reopening of the investigation into the Abdullah Shah murder case and the conduct of an independent, transparent, and empowered inquiry.

Serious questions have already emerged regarding this case. According to the reporting on the Islamabad High Court’s order of July 3, 2025, the police and FIA were directed to investigate how Abdullah Shah’s father’s name was included in a blasphemy case and how certain individuals’ names were excluded from the murder investigation. Following this order, an inquiry into the Abdullah Shah murder case was initiated, but unknown forces used their influence to stop the inquiry before it could be completed.

They said their demand is that this inquiry be reopened and that answers must be provided to all questions regarding the death of the young citizen, his medical details, mental deception, digital evidence, and the murder investigation. This was not just a murder; an entire family was destroyed, and that too by using the system, taking unfair advantage of power and authority, initiating a chain of honey-trapping that resulted in the highest number of cases being registered in Pakistan’s history during these two years.

Speaking about the Senate Standing Committee, participants raised serious questions about the role of the relevant Senate Standing Committee in light of the general announcement made on July 8, 2026, by the Chairman of the Senate Committee and official press releases regarding the re-examination and transparent investigation of blasphemy cases across the country.

In the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights held on July 17, 2026, specific individuals associated with the alleged “Blasphemy Business Group” were given a unilateral opportunity to present their stance, while directly affected families were completely ignored. Why was the issue of blasphemy cases removed from the agenda, what was the reason behind this decision, and whose pressure played a role in it? Similarly, clarification is required as to under what capacity and permission a YouTuber named Qaisar Raja and a lawyer named Rao Abdul Rahim gained access inside the meeting, while affected families were not provided an equal opportunity to present their grievances directly.

Participants demanded that parliamentary forums adopt the principle of a transparent, equal, and impartial hearing for all relevant parties, rather than providing an opportunity to one party while ignoring the other.

Holding the press conference, participants expressed deep concern over the practice of gathering crowds in courts and running character assassination campaigns against judges on social media to pressurize the judiciary.

Courts decide solely on evidence and constitutional principles; gathering mobs there serves the sole purpose of influencing the atmosphere, intimidating the opposing party, and placing illegal pressure on judges. Similarly, running threatening and hate-filled campaigns on social media against judges who grant bail or acquittals based on law and available evidence is a direct attack on judicial independence and the rule of law.

They said the double standard of the “Blasphemy Business Group” and its supporters—respecting the court when a decision is in their favor but targeting the bench when a decision goes against them—must end. In case of disagreement with a judgment, the legal remedy of appeal is available. We demand immediate and strict measures to end coercion and pressure within court premises as well as the harassment of judges on social media.

Participants also cited a detailed Reuters report dated August 6, 2026, according to which, based on data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 13 registered blasphemy cases have been reported so far in 2026, marking a reduction of approximately two-thirds compared to previous years. Reuters reported this decline in the context of a state crackdown against extremist religious groups and a shift in establishment policy. The report also included a statement from Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, stating that the government and the military are on the same page and that a clear policy exists regarding crushing such groups. Participants stated that if state policy is indeed moving toward Zero Tolerance against elements that take the law into their own hands and extremists, this policy should also be applied to those networks and elements accused of falsely or systematically framing citizens in blasphemy cases and murdering multiple young individuals.

Participants stated that the entire country knows about the Islamabad High Court’s orders regarding the search and arrest of Komal Ismail alias Iman and her alleged role, and how she was hidden despite arrest orders. We ask state institutions: when formal court orders for the arrest of this honey-trapping queen exist, where is she, how far has action against her progressed, and why has she not been arrested and presented? Is her protection intended?

The families of victims of the blasphemy gang have presented 8 demands to the government, relevant investigative agencies, parliament, and the judiciary:

The participants said that they were not asking for special favours for any individual; in fact they were are only asking for justice that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees to every citizen.

If the rule of law, judicial independence, and state policy against extremism are to be truly strengthened in Pakistan, it must begin by delivering justice to those citizens who have been facing cases, imprisonment, and uncertainty for years, they said.