Pakistani court blocks ID card of woman accused of orchestrating cyber blasphemy cases

A Pakistani court has ordered authorities to block the national identity card of a woman accused of luring young men into fabricated cyber blasphemy cases, as a judicial investigation into alleged law enforcement abuse expanded to include potential links to a murder case.

The Islamabad High Court directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to locate and arrest Komal Ismail, who allegedly used the alias "Imaan" to contact 14 individuals now facing blasphemy charges, according to court proceedings on Monday.

The order came during a hearing on a petition filed by families of 101 people accused in cyber blasphemy cases, who are seeking an inquiry commission to investigate alleged collusion between complainants and law enforcement officers.

The court proceedings also addressed a separate 2022 murder case involving Abdullah Shah, who had been accused of cyber blasphemy by Advocate Rao Abdul Rahim, head of the Legal Commission on Blasphemy Pakistan. Shah was found dead and the murder case remains under investigation.

Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan ordered that Komal's Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) be blocked until she appears in court, effectively preventing her from accessing government services or traveling legally within Pakistan.

"When Komal Ismail is arrested, keep her isolated, and make sure she doesn't come in contact with anyone, since it's a very sensitive matter," Justice Khan directed the FIA, according to court records.

Investigation expands to murder case

The court was told that Komal was also nominated in a 2022 murder case involving Shah, who was found dead after being accused of cyber blasphemy.

According to court testimony, phone records during the murder investigation revealed contact between both Komal and Rahim with Shah before his death. The court was also told that Rahim had previously represented Komal as counsel in a separate 2021 murder case at the Islamabad High Court.

Inspector Munir Khan of Islamabad Police testified that Shah received a call asking him to meet outside a private hospital in Islamabad, which was his last known location before he was found dead. Security footage allegedly showed him entering a car driven by a woman whose face was not clearly visible.

The inspector told the court that during the murder investigation, police retrieved Shah's phone records, which showed his final call came from the number that had lured him to the hospital meeting.

The court was told that the phone number used to contact Abdullah Shah was registered to a woman in Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who denied ownership under oath. During this murder investigation, Rahim admitted that the number was his WhatsApp number.

When Justice Khan asked how Rahim had obtained that number, Inspector Khan testified that "Advocate Rahim told us that the FIA gave him that number."

Rahim acknowledged in court that he was in contact with Shah before the murder, telling the judge: "I accused him on cyber blasphemy charges, I am not denying it. I had to know his whereabouts so I could tell the police where he was, because law tells me to help out the police. How could I know he will get murdered?"

Justice Khan warned Rahim that "the more you talk about it, the deeper you will dig a hole for yourself, and I am telling you this for your own well-being."

Call data analysis cited

Petitioners' counsel Imaan Hazir Mazari presented investigative reporting by Fact Focus to the court, which claimed to have identified "mysterious Imaan" as Komal Ismail. The court was told that call data analysis cited in the report showed the majority of calls were allegedly made within a one-mile radius of the FIA's Cyber Crime wing office in Islamabad.

FIA counsel told the court that attempts to locate Komal at addresses on her identity card were unsuccessful. Family members said she had left her husband and had not been in contact since 2021.

The court ordered facial recognition analysis of security footage from the hospital where Shah was last seen alive, with results to be submitted in a sealed envelope within three working days.

Backgrounder

Pakistan's blasphemy laws carry severe penalties including death sentences for insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The country has seen a sharp increase in cyber blasphemy prosecutions since September 2024, with 11 death sentences handed down by courts in Islamabad.

Families of accused individuals have petitioned for an inquiry commission, citing a confidential Punjab Police report titled "The Blasphemy Business" that alleged systematic entrapment of young people by private groups working with law enforcement.

Justice Khan has previously ordered the federal government to establish an inquiry commission to investigate the allegations, though the commission has not yet been formed.

The case continues with the next hearing scheduled Tuesday.