Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted bail to religious scholar and online reformist Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza in a high profile blasphemy case, ordering his immediate release from custody.
Justice Sadaqat Khan approved the bail after Mirza submitted two surety bonds of five hundred thousand rupees each. The case had been initiated by the FIA Cyber Crime Wing, which accused him of posting online content deemed offensive to revered figures of Islam.
During the proceedings, the FIA informed the court that a religious decree had been issued against Mirza, but the judge directed the agency to place any such document before the trial court. He noted that questions related to evidence and religious edicts would be examined during the trial, while the High Court’s focus remained limited to the bail plea.
In a parallel development, Mirza has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court challenging the FIA investigation. Through Advocate Nabeel Javed Kahlon, he argues that the agency began proceedings without issuing him any notice and forwarded an old social media video to the Punjab Quran Board for an opinion. The petition claims the Board exceeded its mandate by declaring him culpable despite having no authority to issue religious decrees.
He has requested the court to nullify the fatwa issued against him and bring the inquiry to an end.
Mirza was first detained in August under the Maintenance of Public Order by Jhelum police before being shifted to jail and later handed over to the FIA after a formal blasphemy case was registered. The FIR, lodged at Jhelum City Police Station, alleges that a video originally uploaded on his YouTube channel contains derogatory remarks and a flawed interpretation of a Quranic verse.
The case includes charges under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death sentence, and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act that deals with online content inciting sectarian hatred.
Mirza, who leads the Qur’an o Sunnat Research Academy in Jhelum and commands an online following of more than three million subscribers, has seen his academy sealed by local authorities, though no official explanation has been provided.
