Two Catholics Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan

Last week, two young Catholics in Pakistan were acquitted of false blasphemy charges in a case that has been ongoing for the past two years.

On July 8, a magistrate in Lahore exonerated 20-year-old Adil Babar and 16-year-old Simon Nadeem of their charges under Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws – specifically Section 295-A, which punishes “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feeling” with up to 10 years in prison.

Naseeb Anjum, Pakistan’s Supreme Court Advocate, stated:

The court finally admitted our argument that it could not take cognizance of the offense under Section 295-A without the approval of the federal or provincial governments.

The case was originally filed by Zahid Sohail on May 18, 2023 when the boys were engaged in “light-hearted banter” outside Babar’s home. Sohail passed by and later claimed he overheard the boys laughing and “disrespecting” Muhammad.

According to Babar’s father:

Sohail started beating Simon, and when Adil tried to save him, Sohail attacked him too.

Both boys flatly denied Sohail’s allegation and said they had said nothing that involved a mention of the Muslim prophet. 

When local elders of the neighborhood asked Sohail to substantiate his accusation, he failed to satisfy them and left.

Later that evening, officers from Race Course police station arrested both Babar and Nadeem due to Sohail’s blasphemy accusations. Babar’s father stated:

We were shocked to learn the contents of the First Information Report (FIR) in which Sohail alleged that Simon had called a puppy “Muhammad Ali,” and both boys then joked about it.

No one in our street has dogs, and neither was there a puppy in the street when this incident took place.

Sohail cooked up a false accusation against our children after failing to convince the locals about his earlier allegation.

Naseeb Anjum further commented on the case, stating:

The false accusation of blasphemy against the two boys caused religious tension in the Qurban Lines neighborhood, and their families were forced to relocate to other areas due to security fears.

There’s a dire need to make procedural reforms in cases involving blasphemy to protect the victims, a majority of whom are declared innocent after years of court proceedings and imprisonment.

Accusations and rumors of blasphemy in Pakistan have the potential to provoke riots and killings by Muslim mobs. In 2024 alone, a rights watchdog tallied 344 new blasphemy cases in Pakistan – a record high.

In their annual Human Rights Observer 2025 report, the Center for Social Justice stated:

The blatant weaponization of blasphemy laws continued to enable persecution, religious intolerance and widespread human rights violations.

According to the report, at least 2,793 people have been accused of blasphemy in Pakistan between 1987 and 2024. It also recorded the killings of at least 104 people due to blasphemy allegations from 1994 to 2024.

As of 2025, Pakistan is ranked the eighth most difficult place to be a Christian on Open Doors International’s World Watch List.

While we may rejoice that two young Christians, Babar and Naseem, were acquitted of their charges, let us pray for others who are continually persecuted for their faith around the world.

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