A member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and an Islamic scholar have denounced Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, highlighting the stark disparities in their enforcement between religious leaders and common citizens. He emphasized the critical distinction between genuine blasphemy and mere verbal errors, warning against the reckless use of such laws to justify violence. “Do not kill everyone in the name of blasphemy; otherwise, one day, you may find your own neck under the hands of these very extremists,” he said.
He underscored how these laws, ostensibly designed to protect religious sentiments, have become instruments of oppression, selectively applied to target vulnerable individuals while often sparing influential clerics. This critical perspective has gained urgency following the controversy surrounding Mufti Tariq Masood, a well-known Deobandi scholar who has previously advocated for the death penalty for blasphemy.
Masood now finds himself on the receiving end of the very extremist rhetoric he once championed, as Shia Islamists in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan call for a blasphemy case against him. Their demands were ignited by Masood’s recent remarks suggesting that the Quran contains grammatical errors and that Prophet Muhammad was illiterate, statements that have triggered widespread outrage and mob protests.
The irony of Masood’s predicament cannot be overstated. As he now calls for his remarks to be “understood in context,” it raises critical questions about the very laws he once defended. For years, these draconian measures have been used to silence critics, often resulting in tragic outcomes for those who are falsely accused or belong to minority communities. In Pakistan, mere allegations of blasphemy can lead to extrajudicial killings and severe societal repercussions, particularly against those who lack the protection afforded by a powerful Punjabi demographic.