10 Min Read
June 5, 2025
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD
Muhammad Asif Muhammad Younas, a Pakistani national who has spent almost his entire life in the UAE, now finds himself in an agonizing predicament: unable to return to his homeland due to a fabricated blasphemy case – which also implicates his elder brother, who is currently languishing in a Pakistani jail.
Asif’s harrowing account highlights the severe and often misused blasphemy laws in Pakistan, the perilous environment faced by those targeted by extremist groups, and the deep-seated issue of sectarian violence.
Asif, born in Sharjah in 1983, lived in the UAE for 38 years with minimal contact with Pakistan. His life took a drastic turn in 2018 when his father, Muhammad Younas, a respected religious scholar, was brutally murdered in Lahore by an extremist group. His father had relocated from the UAE to Pakistan in 2015 with Asif’s elder brother, Muhammad Atif, and established a religious madrassa in their family home. This madrassa imparted religious education, which soon became a threat to other religious groups in the area, who wanted their dominance. They repeatedly confronted Asif’s father, threatening him and demanding the closure of the madrassa.
“My father refused to shut it down as he believed he was not doing anything wrong,” said Asif.
The threats escalated into tragedy on June 1, 2018. While Muhammad Atif was not home, several men affiliated with a group of extremists, forcibly entered their home, and brutally attacked Muhammad Younas while he was inside the madrassa. He sustained severe head and body injuries and succumbed to them despite immediate medical attention. Asif remembers the terrifying ordeal of traveling to Pakistan on June 2, 2018, for his father’s funeral.
Police insensitivity
Upon attempting to follow up on his father’s murder case at the local police station with his brother, Muhammad Atif, they were met with alarming police inaction.
“Instead of taking decisive action, the local police stated the investigating was ‘ongoing’ and failed to make any arrests or provide any protection,” Asif complained.
The situation escalated dramatically the very next day, June 3, 2018, when Asif himself became a target. “On my return from the police station, my brother dropped me near our home and left for work. While I was walking towards our house, two men on a motorcycle approached me near my street and opened fire with the clear intention to kill me,” Asif vividly recalled. By sheer luck, he managed to escape into his house unharmed. The attackers then came to their door, shouting threats, declaring loudly that they would kill his entire family just as they had killed his father, and ridiculing them for approaching the police.
“In great fear, I called the local police. They arrived very late, by which time the attackers had fled,” Asif said. Even more distressingly, at the police station, the officer deliberately omitted the names of the suspects Asif had identified – the same individuals and organization responsible for his father’s murder. When Asif refused to accept such a misleading FIR and requested to see the Station House Officer (SHO), he was informed the SHO had already left. His plea for police protection was dismissed with a chilling response: he was “not a prime minister” and that if death was destined, protection would not prevent it. Fearful for his life and without any state protection, Asif immediately returned to the UAE on an early morning flight on June 5, 2018.
‘Missing’ brother
The nightmare, however, continued to unfold. Due to continued threats, Muhammad Atif was also forced to leave Lahore and relocate to Islamabad for his safety. For some time, the family remained in contact with him until, one day, he suddenly disappeared. Despite all efforts, his whereabouts remained unknown for a significant period.
Only recently, Asif discovered through a human rights organization that his elder brother, Muhammad Atif, was imprisoned in Camp Jail, Lahore, under false charges of blasphemy. Shockingly, Asif also learned he too has been falsely nominated in the same FIR and declared wanted in Pakistan under the same fabricated charges.
He wishes to place on record that the blasphemy FIR was filed against both brothers on June 4, 2018, by the same group, immediately after the armed attack on him on June 3, 2018, and after he lodged a complaint against them.
Blasphemy Law issue
This case epitomizes the severe issues surrounding blasphemy laws in Pakistan. These laws, particularly Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which mandates the death penalty for derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), are frequently exploited to settle personal vendettas, target religious minorities, or, as in this case, persecute individuals embroiled in sectarian disputes. Even international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) have repeatedly condemned these laws for perpetuating religious discrimination, inciting mob violence, and being used for blackmail and land grabs. There has been a significant rise in blasphemy cases since 2022, with at least 475 cases registered in 2024 alone, a stark increase from 11 in 2020. While no one has been executed by the state for blasphemy, a mere accusation can often result in mob lynching or targeted killings, and those accused often face long pre-trial detentions and unfair trials.
Asif and his family’s efforts to seek justice have been met with futility. They have tried to engage lawyers, but have found little to no satisfactory assistance. Most of the time the legal professionals have backed out under pressure while some have even ceased communication, in fear of becoming targets themselves. This is not new in Pakistan. After the Rashed Rahman case in Multan, when Rahman, a prominent human rights lawyer who had undertaken the blasphemy allegation of Junaid Hafeez, some gunmen entered court and fired at him, leaving him to die on the spot.
Rahman’s case has shocked the legal fraternity to the extent that there are almost no lawyers who are willing to stand in court and declare that their client is not guilty of the blasphemy allegations against them. Either they do not take up the case, or else they back out under pressure and threats. The same is the case with judges. Judges, especially of the lower courts do not have enough security to to make a fair and transparent decision on a blasphemy case. Several times individuals such as Asiya Bibi have been given the verdict of beng guilty, despite lack of evidence, only because there have been threats against the judge. At other times, the judges themselves are biased enough to make this decision without any pressure.
The lack of access to a fair criminal justice system is one of the biggest reasons why this case may see no end any time soon, exploiting the fact that Asif cannot travel to Pakistan. Even his relatives in Pakistan are unwilling to assist due to continuous threats and the local influence of the perpetrators, fearing for their own lives and safety.
Muhammad Asif Younas’s case is a stark and tragic illustration of the dangerous intersection of deeply entrenched sectarian tensions and the potent, often weaponized, blasphemy laws in Pakistan. As his brother remains incarcerated and he lives in forced exile, their story underscores the urgent need for comprehensive judicial reform, the repeal of discriminatory blasphemy laws, and robust protection for individuals against such egregious accusations and the pervasive threat of sectarian violence. The international community continues to call on the Pakistani government to address these systemic issues that undermine fundamental human rights and perpetuate a climate of fear and injustice.
Categories: Asia, Blasphemy, Pakistan, Pakistan Police
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws were framed as protection of religious sanctities, in fact they were created to target minorities but now they are often tools for oppression, mob violence, and political manipulation. Attempts at reform remain extremely difficult due to resistance and the influence of religious groups. Pakistan has been hijacked by Mullahs.