Agha Baqir al-Hussaini, a Shia cleric in the region of Gilgit Baltistan, was accused of blasphemy over sectarian differences with Sunnis and arrested.
In late August 2023, a Shia cleric named Baqir al-Hussaini was arrested on charges of blasphemy. A popular figure in Gilgit Baltistan, an administrative region of Sunni-majority Pakistan with a significant Shia population, he was accused of making blasphemous in a religious speech. He and those present at the speech contend his remarks had not been blasphemous; the accusation stemmed from an interpretation of the comments as blasphemous from a Sunni, but not Shia, perspective.
Following the cleric's arrest, protests unfolded in the region of Gilgit Baltistan.
This was one of the first cases to be prosecuted after an amendment to Pakistan's blasphemy law which expanded the definitions and punishments for the crime. Bitter Winter reported on the nuances of this case's interaction with the new law, as well as the significance of the sectarian differences which led to it:
After a test case against a Sunni retired teacher, Pakistan amended last month Article 298-A of its Criminal Code, which is part of its blasphemy laws and punishes those who disrespect “the Prophet’s wives, family, close companions, and the Righteous Caliphs.” The penalty passed from one month to three years in jail to a minimum of ten years to life imprisonment, plus a fine of one million rupees. “Bitter Winter” reported that the government had amended Article 298-A under pressure from radical anti-Shiite Sunni movements, and that Shiites would risk severe jail penalties. In fact, in Shia literature one can find curses against Aisha, the third and youngest wife of Muhammad, for her role in denying that Ali, whom the Shiites regard as their founder, was the legitimate successor of the Prophet, and against those companions of the Prophet who sided against Ali. We were not alarmist, and what we denounced as a possibility has already happened, as soon as the new law entered into force. A prominent Shiite cleric, Agha Baqir al-Hussaini, was arrested in Skardu, the largest city in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. He had presided a meeting in mid-August denouncing the new law and stating that Shiites cannot and will not renounce their criticism of those relatives and companions of the Prophet who denied Ali’s succession. As a result, on August 22, local Sunnis took to the street demanding his arrest.
Pakistan is one of the most repressive countries in the world with regard to freedom of expression, including and especially religious freedom. Blasphemy (i.e. insults) against religion in general can result in imprisonment, while blasphemy against Islam carries the much harsher punishment of death. Both in terms of the aggressiveness with which the Islamic-conservative government prosecutes such cases, as well as the harshness of punishment, Pakistan remains one of the worst places on the planet to speak out against religion or religious fundamentalism.