Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are being systematically misused to target religious minorities, dispossess the poor and settle personal and economic disputes, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.

Blasphemy accusations are increasingly weaponized to incite mob violence, displace vulnerable communities and seize their property with impunity, states the 29-page report, “A Conspiracy to Grab the Land: Exploiting Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws for Blackmail and Profit,” issued on June 9.

“Failure to prosecute those responsible for incitement and attacks in the past has emboldened those who use these laws to extort and blackmail in the name of religion,” said Patricia Gossman, HRW’s associate Asia director.

The Pakistani government should urgently reform its blasphemy laws to prevent them from being weaponized, she said.

HRW researchers interviewed 14 people accused of blasphemy, as well as lawyers, judges, prosecutors, human rights defenders, and journalists across Lahore, Gujranwala, Kasur and Sheikhupura in Punjab Province and the federal capital Islamabad between May 2024 and January.

A 52-year-old Christian beautician in Lahore told HRW that in July 2019 she decided to quit her job at a local salon and set up her own business. She pooled her life’s savings and obtained loans from people she knew to start her own salon. Her previous employer tried to dissuade her by offering a raise. When the woman refused, the previous employer threatened her, saying that “the consequences of this will not be good for you.”

In November 2019, a mob led by a local cleric barged into the Christian woman’s salon, beat her and her staff and ransacked and vandalized the premises. They claimed she had desecrated the Quran, and that a boy in the neighborhood had found pages of the Quran in the trash. The woman told HRW that the allegation was false.

“I respect all religions and didn’t even have a copy of the Bible at the salon,” she said. “Why would I have a copy of the Quran? I would have to be completely mad and suicidal to even think about disrespecting it.”

Another Christian who runs a private school with both Muslim and Christian students in a low-income neighborhood of Lahore told HRW that in February 2021 he received a call from an angry parent alleging “blasphemous” comments by a teacher.

The 43-year-old Christian said that he offered to meet the parent and also asked the teacher for an explanation. The teacher denied making any blasphemous comments. A few days later, a group of people affiliated with a local Muslim organization threatened to “burn down the school” if an apology was not made.

“The teacher resigned, but that was not enough to appease the religious group,” the Christian said. “It soon became clear to me that it wasn’t about any remark or ‘blasphemy.’”

They told him to donate 200,000 rupees ($800 USD) to their religious charity to “atone” for his “sin,” he said.

“Of course, they realized that since I was a Christian, just a murmur of blasphemy would mean that my school and possibly I too would be set on fire by a mob,” he said. “No one would ask any questions. My religion made me additionally vulnerable. However, a blasphemy accusation could also result in burning down of a school run by a Muslim. The truth of the allegation doesn’t matter. Now, I have started a cycle of blackmail, and they can extort me whenever.”

Blasphemy remains a capital offense in Pakistan, punishable by death. Although the state has not executed anyone under the law, mere accusations have triggered mob violence resulting in dozens of deaths over the past decade. The accused often endure long pretrial detentions, unfair trials and constant threat of extrajudicial killing.

The HRW report underscored that marginalized communities – especially Christians, Ahmadis and the poor – bear the brunt of the abuse. Many live in informal settlements without legal land titles, making them particularly vulnerable to forced evictions following blasphemy-related violence. HRW found that entire neighborhoods have been emptied after mobs attacked, with community members fleeing in fear, leaving their homes and businesses behind.

In several cases, blasphemy accusations were used to target business rivals or coerce property transfers. The law’s broad and vague provisions allow it to be exploited with minimal or no evidence, creating a climate of fear among vulnerable groups.

HRW also criticized Pakistan’s criminal justice system for enabling these abuses. It said that authorities rarely hold perpetrators of mob violence accountable, while police often fail to protect the accused or investigate allegations. In some instances, officers who intervene face threats themselves. Political and religious actors accused of inciting violence frequently escape arrest or are acquitted due to lack of political will or intimidation.

HRW called on the Pakistani government to repeal the blasphemy laws, immediately release those imprisoned under such charges and investigate all blasphemy-related violence, particularly incidents leading to displacement and property seizure. The report also urged authorities to implement safeguards against coerced sales or transfers of land and businesses following accusations.

“The government’s indifference to the abuses under the blasphemy law and the violence it provokes is discriminatory and violates the rights to fundamental freedoms,” Gossman said. “By failing to act, Pakistani authorities are not just tolerating injustice – they are enabling it.”

Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian.