Anchorperson Orya Maqbool Jan was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime Wing in Lahore on Thursday. The arrest is linked to Jan’s social media posts concerning the ongoing Mubarak Sani case.
According to Jan’s lawyer, Azhar Siddique, Jan is being detained at the FIA Cybercrime office in Gulberg, Lahore. Siddique stated that they have not been provided with the details of the First Information Report (FIR) related to the case. “We haven’t been informed of the specifics of the FIR, and we believe the FIA lacks jurisdiction in this matter,” Siddique said, indicating that they intend to mount a robust defense against the charges. Jan is expected to be presented before a judicial magistrate later today.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea from the Punjab government today (Thursday) challenging its July 24 verdict in the Mubarak Sani case. The plea seeks a revision of the court’s February 6 order, which stated that the right to profess religion and religious freedom, as guaranteed by the Constitution, is subject to law, morality, and public order.
The application, filed by the prosecutor general of Punjab on Saturday, was promptly listed for hearing before a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
In related news, on Monday, protesters associated with Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz-i-Nabuwat attempted to breach the Supreme Court’s security, demanding the withdrawal of its verdict in the Mubarak Sani case.
Police responded with baton charges and teargas to prevent the protesters from accessing the Supreme Court. Earlier in the day, demonstrators had set up a stage at Express Chowk with a sound system to address the crowd. The following day, the capital police registered a case against over 6,000 protesters for entering the Red Zone.
Background of the Mubarak Sani case
On February 6, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa overturned the conviction of Mubarak Sani, who had been accused in 2019 under the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) (Amendment) Act. The court ruled that the offense for which Sani was convicted was not criminalized until 2021, leading to the overturning of his conviction and his immediate release.
The Punjab government subsequently challenged the decision, arguing that paragraph 9 of the ruling, which relates to Article 20 of the Constitution, should be modified. They claimed that the rights guaranteed under this provision are not absolute and must be balanced with law, public order, and morality. The Supreme Court, in its July 24 ruling, upheld that the right to religious freedom, as protected by the Constitution, is indeed subject to these considerations.
Mubarak Ahmad Sani is a Qadian preacher. A case was filed against him on the charge that he distributed a book from the Qadian religion titled Tafsir Qur’an at a religious event, which is against the Quran and Islam.
