BLASPHEMY LAWS OF PAKISTAN: A NECESSITY OR A TOOL OF PERSONAL AND POLITICAL VENGEANCE

Abstract

‘Blasphemy Laws: A necessity or a tool of personal and political vengeance?’ is a study designed to understand the perceptual and socio-cognitive patterns of thought on the issue of blasphemy in Pakistan. Perceptions mean what the public thinks about the problem, versus, what the experts know. Hence, this study is a reconciliation of a layman’s perceptions and an expert’s knowledge from years of study of the law and jurisprudence. This research seeks to find out answers to three main questions- what are blasphemy laws, why is it necessary for a state to have such laws; and what are the factors due to which the laws are misused as a tool of vengeance? Further research aims and rationale are presented in the introduction, while the conceptual framework draws attention to the urgency of the situation, and gives a brief backdrop against which discussions on blasphemy do not usually function in the real world. The literature review illustrates various aspects of blasphemy laws, including international and multi-religious perspectives, which diversifies and enriches the content of this study. Next follows the chapter on research design and methodology with systematic and detailed descriptions of the units of analysis and mixed research methods employed. The study is divided into two parts- quantitative and qualitative, a combined analysis of which is done in the findings part. Main findings of the research are that a majority of both, public and experts believe that blasphemy laws are necessary, and at the same time used as tools of vengeance. It is also discovered that the majority shuns 8 | P a g e the idea of amending or nullifying blasphemy laws. Instead, they propagate social reforms to solve the actual problem of societal extremism and intolerance. This is reflected in the illustrative cases of Mashal Khan, Aasia Bibi and Kot Radha Krishan Couple Case. The research wraps up in a conclusion chapter, preceded by a framework for policy recommendations and limitations of the study, accompanied by appendices consisting supplementary information on qualitative and quantitative data analysis in the end.