Pak has reported 1,415 cases of blasphemy since 1947: Think tank

Pakistan reported a total of 1,415 cases of blasphemy in the country since 1947, a think tank, Centre for Research and Security Studies, said on Tuesday, reported DAWN.

Pakistan reported a total of 1,415 cases of blasphemy in the country since 1947, a think tank, Centre for Research and Security Studies, said on Tuesday, reported DAWN. According to the think tank report, a total of 18 women and 71 men were extra-judicially killed over blasphemy from 1947 to 2021.

However, as per the think tank, the actual number of cases is believed to be higher as not all cases are reported. "The actual number is believed to be higher because not all blasphemy cases get reported in the press," the report said, adding more than 70 percent of the accused were reported from Punjab.

The data shows that 55 cases were filed in the Islamabad Capital Territory. This is more than the cases of blasphemy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) put together. Moreover, 1,098 cases were reported from Punjab followed by 177 from Sindh, 33 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 from Balochistan, and 11 from PoK.

The debate in Pakistan around blasphemy is whether "people disrespecting Islam should be punished" or "people are falsely accused to settle personal scores". One group in society is calling out for a review of the blasphemy laws in order to avoid and deter their abuse.

At the same time, murderers say that the victims are 'wajibul qatal,' a very problematic word that loosely translates to "worthy of being murdered," since they committed an unforgivable religious transgression, reported DAWN. 

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