Lahore: Activist and Journalist Face Death Threats. Lahore, Pakistan – A prominent activist and a journalist are facing a barrage of death threats following their public campaign calling for accountability on misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Aroon Arthur, a human rights activist, and Hasnain Tirmizi, a journalist, have become targets of religious organizations who perceive their advocacy as unjustified. The activists launched their campaign in August this year, arguing that the blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores and target religious minorities. They have highlighted cases of individuals falsely accused and subjected to violence, even extrajudicial killings, based on flimsy evidence. The incidents like Swat, Sindh, and Sargodha where the police killed Dr. Shahnawaz Kunbhar in a fake encounter over the alleged blasphemy and a 70-year-old Nazir Masih succumbed to injuries after an angry mob beat him over the allegations of blasphemy. Aroon and Hasnain recently organized a round table conference demanding accountability from parliamentarians and religious groups on such incidents. They demanded a moratorium on the death penalty on such laws unless it was justified. Their campaign gained significant traction, sparking public discourse and garnering support from various human rights organizations. However, it also drew the ire of religious hardliners who issued death threats against the activists. “It has become an issue of every citizen in this country now, no one is safe due to such nuisance,” Aroon stated in a recent interview. “It is indeed as a journalist I am myself not safe so given to the circumstances on large I must continue to make my country safe,” added Hasnain. Police have been notified about such threats but no investigation has been started yet. However, concerns remain about their safety in a country where individuals accused of blasphemy often face vigilante violence.
