The issue of Hizb al Shaitan and organized blasphemy in Pakistan has become a major concern in discussions surrounding social media, cybercrime, law enforcement, and religious sensitivity.
According to the material presented by state institutions, courts, the Punjab government, and religious scholars, thousands of cases and investigations have emerged around blasphemous content shared through social media platforms and online groups.
1. Stance of State on Hizb al-Shaitan Cases
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, more than 400,000 social media accounts involved in spreading blasphemous material in Pakistan had been identified. The material states that the FIA also confirmed action concerning such accounts.
The ministry reportedly described blasphemous material targeting Allah, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Ahl al-Bayt, the Mothers of the Believers, the Holy Quran, and the Companions as being shared across different social media platforms and groups.
The FIA’s documented actions are also highlighted in the source. According to FIA documents cited in the material, complaints received from the Punjab Quran Board regarding Quranic and religiously offensive material resulted in action against individuals accused of sharing such content. The accounts of accused individuals were taken into custody and further legal proceedings were initiated.
More Than One Million Web Links Blocked
The scale of online content is further illustrated by a report published by Dawn on April 5, 2024. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the Peshawar High Court that it had blocked approximately 1.07 million web links after finding blasphemous or obscene material. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is also cited as reporting the discovery of approximately 400,000 accounts involved in spreading offensive material.
Ministry of Education Reports Arrests and Social Media Concerns
Another important update issued by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training following a consultative meeting held on September 27, 2023.
The meeting focused on the misuse of social media, the increasing spread of obscene material, and blasphemy-related offenses, particularly among young people.
239 people, including six women, had been arrested. It further states that more than 150 accused had used artificial intelligence in connection with blasphemous activity.
The material says approximately 90 percent of those arrested were young people, generally between 20 and 30 years old, while 139 were BS or MS-level college or university students. It also states that approximately 400,000 accounts had been reported, while suggesting the actual number could be higher. The ministry’s action plan included awareness campaigns for students, parents, and teachers concerning blasphemy, pornography, and the misuse of social media.
Blasphemy Cases and the Reported “Pornographic Blasphemy” Pattern
The available reports also discuss several blasphemy cases that were under judicial proceedings. According to the reports, investigations into some cases reportedly revealed what it describes as “pornographic blasphemy.” It describes a group using different social media platforms to share highly offensive material involving religious figures, sacred personalities, and religious texts.
The reports describe the sharing of obscene images and offensive material involving the Quran and religious personalities as part of this reported activity. The reports further provide arrest figures through December 2025. It states that 415 accused people had been arrested in blasphemy cases across different cities in Pakistan.
According to those figures:
Lahore: 211 arrests
Islamabad: 86 arrests
Rawalpindi: 64 arrests
Karachi: 54 arrests
These figures are presented in the Govt records as part of the wider scale of blasphemy-related investigations in Pakistan.
2. Lahore High Court About Hizb al-Shaitan Cases
This places significant emphasis on judicial proceedings, particularly a decision of the Lahore High Court. On March 6, 2025, Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz issued a detailed decision in Umer Nawaz and others versus Deputy Director FIA and others. According to the reports, the case concerned complaints regarding offensive material against Islam and other religions, religious hatred, and the desecration of sacred personalities through social media.
The material states that representatives of PTA and FIA appeared before the court and confirmed the use of social media platforms for uploading large amounts of offensive and religiously hateful material. The court considered some of the material so inflammatory that its details could not immediately be recorded in the judgment.
A Joint Action Plan for 15 Government Institutions
According to the reports, the Lahore High Court directed 10 federal and five provincial institutions to implement a comprehensive action plan addressing social media misuse and blasphemy-related concerns.
The federal institutions included:
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Ministry of Federal Education
Higher Education Commission
Ministry of Information Technology
FIA
Ministry of Law and Justice
Council of Islamic Ideology
PTA
Ministry of Human Rights
The recommendations included public awareness campaigns, educational programs, legal assistance, research, social-media awareness, and measures concerning illegal online content. The provincial departments were also assigned responsibilities relating to awareness, education, information, information technology, and internal security. These included developing awareness programs, working with religious scholars, organizing seminars, guiding parents and teachers, developing parental-control systems, and working with FIA concerning serious online crimes.
Sindh High Court and the Question of an Organized Group
The report also refers to a detailed decision of the Sindh High Court involving Justice Umar Sial. According to the material, the court praised the efforts of Hafiz Ehtesham in exposing individuals involved in religiously offensive crimes.
The reports says that the court observed that the material collected indicated that the activity was not the work of only one individual but pointed toward a group. It further states that the court called for the matter to be examined by the Directors General of FIA, Intelligence Bureau, and ISI in the context of national security and organized crime. This judicial material is presented in the source as another reason for examining whether online blasphemy cases involve broader networks rather than isolated incidents.
3. Punjab Government Action Against Hizb al Shaitan Material
Reports also highlight action attributed to the Punjab government concerning material associated with Hizb al Shaitan. The Punjab government banned the central book associated with Hizb al Shaitan. The reports says the book was being used to spread offensive material and what it describes as satanic ideology through groups and to train people in this activity.
The possessing, reading, or searching for the banned book had become a legal offense under the action described. The material also states that the Punjab government referred the broader blasphemy matter to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). This action is presented as evidence of the seriousness with which the Punjab government was treating the issue.
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4. Pakistani Religious Scholars on Hizb al-Shaitan Cases
The issue of online blasphemy was also discussed by religious scholars. On May 30, 2023, a consultative meeting was held under the chairmanship of Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, with prominent religious scholars and academics participating. The meeting examined different aspects of preventing offensive material on social media and produced several recommendations.
Among the recommendations were:
Strengthening the state’s role in preventing blasphemous material online.
Making the FIA Cyber Crime Wing more empowered and effective.
Establishing a specialized cybercrime wing dealing with blasphemy-related cases.
Establishing special courts for blasphemy-related cases.
Creating a Counter Blasphemy Department on the model of CTD.
Strengthening PTA’s role concerning social-media platforms.
Developing awareness videos and audio messages.
Addressing blasphemy prevention through social-media community guidelines.
Educating parents about children’s use of smartphones and digital devices.
Introducing relevant awareness material into educational curricula.
Conducting awareness programs in mosques, schools, colleges, and universities.
Seeking psychological expertise to better understand the issue.
The Punjab Quran Board meeting held on January 21, 2025, where religious scholars reportedly stated that approximately 60 to 70 individuals accused in religiously offensive social-media cases had been arrested following recommendations from the Quran Board.
