Tag: FIA

A report issued by the Special Branch in Punjab has revealed that over 400 young boys and girls are reportedly being persecuted in Pakistan under the blasphemy law for sharing blasphemous content on the internet.

The report stated that the suspicious gang “The Blasphemy Business” trapped young boys and girls into “committing” blasphemy and then reported them to the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA). The gang is reportedly doing this heinous act for financial gain.

Young prisoners under blasphemy charges are reportedly from diverse fields, including Hafiz-e-Quran, software engineers, electrical, mechanical, civil and chemical engineers. All of the blasphemy victims belong to poor and middle-class families, the report said.

FIA confirmed receiving the report on the “The Blasphemy Business” group in January 2024, in which it mentioned that a special gang is a complainant in 90 per cent of blasphemy cases, the document added.

Moreover, the document noted that reportedly the “The Blasphemy Business” has been headed by a lawyer, Rao Abdur Raheem Advocate, based in Islamabad, whose Whatsapp account is linked to a mobile number in Spain that was reportedly involved in malpractice and under his chairmanship, the gang is involved in trapping youth in blasphemy cases and then extorting money from the accused.

In an interview with Fact Focus, responding to the extreme punishment and the possibility of unintentional errors by some of the accused, the lawyer said, “If any part of the body is affected by cancer, that part is cut out. There is no other solution.”

How did the group trap naive youth?

The report disclosed that obscene images with objectionable material were sent to the victims via WhatsApp; when the receiver protested, the sender denied that he initially sent it and then asked for the image to be shown.

The recipient would resend the picture, after which the sender would block them; later, the recipient would be arrested and accused of originating the blasphemous content, the report said.

The report explained that the gang further runs social media groups named “United Mazhabi Story, Laiba Mazhabi King and Azad Mazhabi Ilam,” where their modus operandi of trapping innocents is the same as described above.

The 40 families of victims of blasphemy cases peacefully protested outside the National Press Club Islamabad on October 2, 2024, and demanded the federal government set up an inquiry commission under the Inquiry Commission Act to investigate the issue.

Prominent journalist Ali Hamza reported that Advocate Usman Warraich is representing the victim’s family in a petition filed in Islamabad High Court (IHC) to probe the Special Branch Punjab Report.

Warraich said: “At least 400 families are suffering because of these allegations.”

“We were instructed in a letter to bring your son [at the police station] for inquiry. As responsible citizens, we produced our son before police….when we informed them [police] that our son is blind and incapable of committing any wrongdoing, taftishi (investigator) put my son behind bars and demanded one lac rupees for my son’s release,” alleged victim’s mother, Saeeda Bibi, while speaking to Voicepkdotnet on Sunday (January 12) in Islamabad.

“We are poor people; they [police] conducted two raids on our home, and broke down its walls,” she haltingly said, adding that she has been fighting her son’s case for three years, and the legal expenses have led them to the brink of bankruptcy.

Prominent journalist Shahid Aslam on Sunday, while citing an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report, revealed that the government withdrew from awarding gallantry awards to Director Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Sarfaraz Virk after finding that he was falsely nominated for the awards.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shahid Aslam quoted an IB report as saying that the director of FIA Lahore had claimed that he, as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), escorted the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 when terrorists attacked them in Lahore. 

“He [Sarfaraz Virk], as ASP, claimed to have escorted the guest team out of the attack venue by exposing himself to danger. The government announced a gallantry award for him. Later, it was proved that neither was he present at the scene nor he had done anything remarkable. The announcement of the said award was later withdrawn,” the report said.

On March 3, 2009, militants with rocket launchers, grenades and rifles attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team bus when they were headed towards Lahore Qaddafi Cricket Stadium for day three of their second test match against Pakistan.

The militant attack had left seven people killed, including six policemen, and another 20 wounded. Seven members of the visiting cricket team, including the assistant coach and umpire, were injured.

The report accused the director of FIA Lahore of various crimes, including malpractice and illegally acquiring money from Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO).

Under the chairmanship of Sarfaraz Virk, FIA was allegedly involved in acquiring money from LESCO under kickbacks, Aslam said while citing an IB report.

The journalist claimed that the report was forwarded to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on 13 September 2024. In response, the PM ordered  an inquiry against him. 

According to a notification issued from the PM Office in September 2024, under the subject ‘Corrupt Practice – Connivance of LESCO & FIA Officials,’ the Interior Division was directed to take action against the officers/officials pointed out in the enclosed report within a week and submit a compliance report.

“Establishment division to place the report in the dossiers of the officers identified and keep a watch on their performance in future,” the PMO notification reads.

However, Shahid Aslam claimed that the secretary of the interior, who was responsible for initiating the inquiry against the Sarfraz Virk, has not yet taken any action.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested three suspects involved in editing and sharing of a fake video of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

As per the details, fake AI-generated videos of the Punjab CM started doing the rounds over the internet after Maryam, accompanied by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, greeted the UAE president upon his arrival at the Rahim Yar Khan Airport on December 5.

Reports on Saturday quoted FIA officials as saying that 20 social media accounts responsible for sharing the fake media had also been identified. Three suspects have so far been, and the FIA is also conducting raids to arrest the remaining culprits, they added.

A joint investigation team (JIT) to widen the scope of investigation under the chairmanship of Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry has been constituted with Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad deputy directors as members, reports said.

Action comes after Punjab CM’s office approached the FIA’s cybercrime wing for a probe into the doctored pictures and videos. The FIA had earlier assured the government of cracking down on those responsible for uploading and sharing the altered content.

As part of the investigation, the FIA’s cybercrime wing had said, it would conduct inquiries across the country. The agency had warned that individuals found involved in uploading or sharing of the fake images would face legal consequences.

It merits a mention that deepfakes or AI-generated visuals are becoming increasingly convincing and easier to make. In May 2022, the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing arrested a man in Peshawar on charges of circulating fake videos of CM Maryam on social media.

Doctored images and fake videos are used to discredit individuals’ role in society, experts say, adding that politicians, actresses and other well-known persons are especially targeted by those involved in such activities.

Earlier, Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari also fell victim to a deepfake video. 

Reacting to the viral video, the info minister had stressed the need to urgently tackle the menace. Bokhari had asserted that the criminal justice system needed to be modernised to counter such issues, as deepfake videos were frequently used to target women.

“I was shattered when it came to my knowledge,” the minister had told a foreign media outlet, vowing to do every thing in her power for the protection of digital rights of the people.