Religious scholar Engineer Mirza Muhammad Ali. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday extended its order suspending the Islamic Ideology Council’s opinion declaring Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza guilty of blasphemy until April 7 and sought the assistance of the attorney general at the next hearing.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard a petition filed by Aslam Khaki challenging the council’s opinion against Mirza. Despite earlier court directions, the attorney general did not appear before the bench.
Assistant Attorney General Usman Ghuman told the court that the attorney general was unavailable due to prior commitments and offered that the additional attorney general could appear instead. Justice Kayani rejected the request and insisted that the attorney general personally attend, noting that he had already directed him to assist the court.
The assistant attorney general then requested that a new date be fixed for the attorney general’s appearance. The court accepted the request and adjourned the hearing until April 7.
Read: Court grants Engr Muhammad Ali Mirza bail in blasphemy case
Mirza was initially detained on August 27 by Jhelum police under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order. He was later shifted to jail and then handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency after a blasphemy case was registered against him.
The FIR, lodged at the Jhelum City Police Station, alleged that a video circulating online, originally uploaded to Mirza’s YouTube channel, contained blasphemous remarks about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and a misinterpretation of Surah al-Nisa. The complainant said the video was offensive and violated Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
The case includes charges under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016. Section 295-C states that “whoever, whether spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) shall be punished with death and shall be liable to fine.”
Read more: Blasphemy FIR lodged against Engineer Mirza as Punjab Police deny custody
Section 11 of PECA deals with the preparation and spread of information that promotes interfaith, sectarian or racial hatred and carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison and a fine.
Mirza is a well-known online figure with more than three million subscribers on YouTube. He also heads the Qur’an-o-Sunnat Research Academy in Jhelum, which has been sealed by local authorities. No official reason has been given for the sealing.
He has faced similar allegations in the past. In May 2020, Mirza was charged over allegedly derogatory remarks against other religious scholars and was later released on bail. In 2023, he was again charged with blasphemy over comments about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his views on the Ahmadi community, but those charges were later dropped.
Blasphemy remains one of the most sensitive and controversial issues in Pakistan, with human rights groups repeatedly urging the government to prevent the misuse of the law for personal or political ends.
