Pakistan police arrest popular YouTube preacher Engineer Mirza

Pakistani authorities have arrested Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, a YouTube preacher with millions of followers, under a law that permits preventive detention in the name of public order.

Mirza, 46, was detained late Monday in his hometown of Jhelum, in Pakistan’s northeast.

Officials said the order came from the Deputy Commissioner of Jhelum and was immediately carried out by local police.

He has since been transferred to the district jail and a 30-day detention order has been issued for him, police told Nukta.

Mirza, an engineer by profession, is best known for his online religious lectures and debates.

With more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube, Mirza is part of a growing wave of digital religious influencers in South Asia whose reach often rivals that of mainstream clerics.

His arrest has already sparked debate on Pakistani social media, with supporters calling it an attack on free expression while detractors argue his views sow discord.

Authorities have not publicly detailed the reasons for his detention, beyond citing provisions of Pakistan’s Maintenance of Public Order law, which allows temporary arrests to prevent potential unrest.

Blasphemy FIR

Later, a blasphemy FIR was registered in Jhelum against Engineer Mirza under Section 295-C of the PPC and Section 11 of PECA 2016. The case was filed by Humair Ali Qadri, a resident of Gujrat.

*With additional reporting by Ali Hamza