The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) police on Tuesday night registered a case under Section 295-C of the Azad Penal Code against a Shiite orator from Chakwal over alleged blasphemous remarks made during a recent religious gathering on the outskirts of the state capital. 
The alleged blasphemer
The First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at Panjgran police station at 9:30pm, naming the accused as Baqar Ali Khan, son of Muhammad Saqlain Mughal, a resident of Pindkot Chaudhrian, Tehsil and District Chakwal.
The move came after widespread outrage and mass protests erupted in and around Muzaffarabad earlier in the day, with demonstrators demanding capital punishment for the orator, whom they accused of disrespecting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
According to police and eyewitnesses, thousands of protestors blocked roads by placing obstacles and setting tyres ablaze, bringing traffic to a halt at multiple locations, including Chattar Chowk, Chehla Bandi and Kohala, the main entry point to AJK from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The controversy stemmed from a video clip that went viral on Monday, featuring a controversial excerpt from a speech allegedly delivered by the accused during a Majlis held on the 8th of Muharram at the residence of Wajahat Kazmi in Kanoor village, which falls within the jurisdiction of Panjgran police station.
The remarks sparked widespread condemnation from the Sunni community, who viewed them as highly offensive. Soon after, Syed Ali Raza, the prayer leader of a mosque in Khawarmang village (tehsil Patikka), submitted a formal complaint to police, co-signed by nine other local notables, demanding legal action under Section 295-C, which deals with blasphemy.
In a video statement posted on Monday afternoon, SSP Muzaffarabad Syed Riaz Haider Bukhari confirmed that police had received the complaint and had acted swiftly to apprehend the suspect.
“We have initiated the strictest legal proceedings to fulfill all requirements and will build a strong case,” the SSP said, urging citizens to preserve communal harmony and avoid provocative actions.
A separate statement by a police spokesperson urged the public to share any credible evidence related to the viral clip directly with the authorities.
Meanwhile, tensions escalated further when some members of the Shiite community came to the orator’s defense, asserting that his speech had been taken out of context. Their stance provoked even stronger reactions from Sunni protestors, many of whom took to the streets chanting slogans and demanding the harshest punishment.
“We can tolerate anything but the slightest disrespect to our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him),” said a demonstrator at Chattar Chowk. “There is no penalty for a blasphemer except execution,” another added.
The FIR noted that, after the suspect was taken into custody, the case was referred to a committee constituted under Section 156-A of the Azad Penal Code (Amended Act VII of 2020) to evaluate whether the remarks met the legal threshold for blasphemy charges.
According to the FIR, the committee’s preliminary findings confirmed that a prima facie offence under Section 295-C had been committed. Based on its recommendation, police proceeded with registration of the case and forwarded a copy of the report to the Additional Superintendent of Police via the SSP for further investigation, and thus bringing protests to end for the time being.
Tariq Naqash
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