A Rawalpindi court has handed over Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, a controversial religious scholar from Jhelum, to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a seven-day physical remand in a blasphemy case.
Read more: Blasphemy FIR Filed Against Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza
Senior Civil Judge Waqar Hussain Gondal approved the remand after the FIA produced Mirza in court under tight security. The court directed the FIA to complete its interrogation and present him again on September 19.
Mirza was first detained last month by Jhelum police under the Maintenance of Public Order law. He was later shifted to jail and then given to the FIA following the registration of a blasphemy case. The FIR, filed at Jhelum City Police Station, accuses Mirza of making blasphemous remarks in a YouTube video and misinterpreting verses from Surah al-Nisa.
The case invokes Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carries the death penalty for defiling the name of the Prophet (PBUH), and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, which targets content inciting sectarian or interfaith hatred.
Read more: Watch: Engineer Mirza Faces Backlash Over Iran-Israel War Remarks
Authorities have also sealed the Qur’an-o-Sunnat Research Academy in Jhelum, which Mirza heads, though no official explanation has been given.
This is not the first time Mirza has faced blasphemy allegations. He was previously charged in 2020 and 2023, though those cases were later dropped. With more than three million YouTube subscribers, Mirza remains a highly polarizing figure, and the case has again sparked debate around Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws.
