In Pakistan, a controversial arrest has sparked significant attention as authorities detained a young Christian man under the country’s stringent blasphemy laws. This incident has once again brought to light the ongoing concerns about the misuse of these laws and their impact on minority communities.
Arrest and Allegations
Arsalan Gill, a 24-year-old resident of Railway Quarters in Mughalpura, Lahore, was apprehended on March 17 by officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The arrest occurred as he returned from his job as a sweeper, according to his brother, Suleman Gill. The family was informed of the arrest later that night, being told that Arsalan faced charges of sharing blasphemous content on Facebook groups.
“The next morning when we were finally able to meet him briefly, we asked him about the accusation,” Gill told Christian Daily International–Morning Star News. “He told us that some unknown persons had added him to two groups on Facebook without his knowledge, and he had no idea about the content that was shared on those pages.”
Legal and Human Rights Concerns
Arsalan Gill faces charges under Pakistan’s Section 295-C, which prescribes the death penalty for blasphemy, and Section 11 of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act 2016, which can result in up to seven years in prison for promoting interfaith, sectarian, or racial hatred via digital means. Rights advocates suspect he may be a victim of a “blasphemy business group” known for entrapping individuals in false cases.
Attorney Lazar Allah Rakha, representing several people accused of blasphemy, stated, “The modus operandi is the same in all cases registered by the anti-blasphemy unit of the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing. This unit is colluding with Islamist lawyers and activists to trap innocent youths in false cases of blasphemy for extorting money and defending the blatant abuse of the blasphemy laws for other vested interests.”
Family’s Plea for Help
Facing financial hardship, the Gill family is seeking assistance from Christian groups for legal support. Suleman Gill described their dire situation, noting, “My father works as a daily wage laborer, while Arsalan and I worked as sweepers. We live in a rented quarter and are barely able to meet the daily expenses of our family. In these circumstances, we have no idea as to how we will pursue the legal course of action for my brother’s release.”
Judicial Response and Investigation
On February 2, the Islamabad High Court advised the government to form a commission to investigate allegations of collusion between the FIA and Islamist clerics. The proposed commission should include a retired judge, a former senior FIA officer, a scholar, and an IT expert to examine the complex technological issues involved. The court has criticized the slow government response and called for live broadcasts of case proceedings, highlighting the public interest in these matters.
Pakistan ranks eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List for countries where it is most challenging to be a Christian.
This article was originally published at Christian Daily International–Morning Star News
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
