In a troubling development, Pakistani blogger Asma Batool has been arrested on charges of blasphemy following her social media posts. The charges stem from Batool sharing a poem by Salman Haider that addresses the harassment of women in South Asian countries, inspired by the Kolkata rape case. The poem includes the line, “Khuda, Bhagwan or Ishwar, sab maujood they, jab rape hua” (All the gods were witness when I was being violated), which has now led to serious legal consequences for Batool.
The controversy began when Batool, a blogger from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, shared Haider’s poem on Facebook and also posted a video on Instagram narrating another poem with the caption, “Your country is the same as mine.” This seemingly innocuous act of solidarity quickly escalated into a legal battle when local religious clerics took offense.
On August 25, Maulana Tahir Bashir, president of Ahlus Sunnat Wal Jamaat District in Poonch, filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Batool, accusing her of insulting Allah. This accusation led to Batool’s arrest and has sparked a wave of unrest. Her family reported that a mob, incited by the clerics, attacked their home, threatened to kill them, and attempted to set it on fire, accusing them of abandoning their faith. Visuals circulating on social media show local clerics leading the mob and pressuring Batool’s family to disown her or face social ostracism.
Human rights activists and social media users have voiced their concerns and demanded Batool’s release. Prominent journalist Sabahat Zakariya highlighted the gravity of the situation on X (formerly Twitter), noting, “Asma Batool…has been arrested for blasphemy charges for sharing a poem on her social media. Aap maane ya na maaney, this is Pakistan” (agree or disagree, this is Pakistan). Zakariya criticized the country’s tendency to handle dissent with severe measures rather than engaging in constructive dialogue.
Batool, known for her outspoken stance against the oppression of minorities in Pakistan, has used her platform to advocate for various causes. Her YouTube channel features videos of her celebrating Holi and discussing the plight of the Kashmiri people. Her arrest has triggered widespread outrage and concern among activists and social media users.
A user on X expressed dismay, stating, “Can’t wait for them to discover Iqbal (Allama Iqbal) and how ‘blasphemous’ he gets. This is disgusting and I seriously can’t begin to see how we can ever reverse it.” Human rights advocate Gulalai Ismail also condemned Batool’s arrest, describing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws as a tool for punishing dissent. Ismail remarked, “Blasphemy law is the new sedition law; a tool used by the civil-military establishment to punish dissent.”
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which prohibit derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, have long been controversial. Since the country’s independence in 1947, at least 89 people have been extrajudicially killed over blasphemy accusations, including notable figures like Governor Salman Taseer and Minister Shahbaz Bhatti. As of early 2021, around 80 people were imprisoned on blasphemy charges, many facing life sentences or the death penalty.
The situation has been exacerbated by recent legal amendments. In January 2023, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, increasing the penalty for disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad’s family from three years to 10 years in prison, plus a fine of 1 million Pakistani rupees. Human Rights Watch, in its 2024 report, warned of the increasing use of blasphemy provisions to target individuals for their social media comments, marking a dangerous escalation in the application of these laws.
The arrest of Asma Batool highlights the ongoing tension between freedom of expression and the stringent blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Activists and human rights organizations continue to call for her immediate release and the re-evaluation of these repressive laws.
