The second biggest Muslim country in the world, with a 95-98 per cent Muslim population also has the highest rate of blasphemy offences against Islam - funny that isn’t it.

One of the statistical fallacies of the blasphemy laws is that the majority of people accused of blasphemy are Muslims. While that is true, and highlights the misapplication of the laws, it also lulls people into a false confidence that perhaps the laws aren’t...

...as weaponised against minorities as is commonly perceived. As per a percentage of the population minorities face the highest number of accusations, legal punishment and extra judicial recriminations from these laws, with Ahmadis being the worst targets.

In any case if the purpose of these laws was to maintain societal and religious harmony, and to protect the respective sentiments of various religious communities and groups they have failed miserably.

Rather than curbing blasphemy, they have created and environment where blasphemy lurks around every corner and given birth to a society ever ready to find offence in the slightest perceived slight, breach or infraction.

Such laws never curtail blasphemy, they only give rise to it, inflaming and provoking sentiments and attitudes to the point where there is no one left who isn’t a blasphemer.

And that’s where we are now. Just before his death, there was a blasphemy campaign against Khadim Hussain Rizvi for certain offensive comments made against the Islamic call to prayer. While many people took some measure of delight in that and saw it as some sort of karma...

...the whole incident was actually just another dark milestone in how far our society has fallen down the hateful rabbit hole of hateful extremism. I mean if someone like Khadim Hussain Rizvi isn’t safe from blasphemy allegations then who is?

This is only going to get worse, a whole lot worse before it begins to get better. So be cautious, be wary, be careful and shed any false sense of security you might have, because this is a fire this is coming to consume everyone. Don’t think you are safe - no one is.