Pakistan has recorded a sharp decline in blasphemy-related prosecutions and mob violence following a military-led crackdown on hardline Islamist groups, in what analysts and officials describe as a major policy shift under Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
According to data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, only 13 blasphemy cases have been registered so far this year—down by roughly two-thirds compared with similar periods in recent years. Separate figures from conflict monitor Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) also show only one blasphemy-related riot or attack in the past 12 months, compared with an annual average of more than seven between 2021 and 2024.
The decline follows a crackdown on Islamist organisations that four government and security sources told Reuters was personally overseen by Munir, as Pakistan seeks to improve its international image, deepen economic integration with Western partners and strengthen ties with US President Donald Trump.
One source close to Munir’s inner circle said the army chief had made it clear that “these Islamist groups and a progressing Pakistan cannot go together,” adding that he had adopted a zero-tolerance approach toward extremist organisations in an effort to portray Pakistan as a stable investment destination.
Pakistan’s military and interior ministry did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The changing security climate was evident last month in Karachi, where police prevented a potentially deadly mob attack after blasphemy allegations were made against a Christian family.
Police officer Sanghaar Ali Malik said officers successfully dispersed hundreds of people after assuring them that authorities would investigate the allegations. A subsequent inquiry found the accusations against the family to be false.
Pakistan has witnessed about 90 blasphemy-related lynchings since 1990, with many incidents beginning after unverified accusations against religious minorities.
Analysts say Pakistan’s military has historically maintained relationships with Islamist groups to influence domestic politics and regional security dynamics. However, they argue the country’s worsening security challenges, economic pressures and foreign policy priorities have prompted a reassessment.
Analyst Abdul Basit of Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said deteriorating insurgencies in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alongside Pakistan’s efforts to attract foreign investment in its mineral sector, likely accelerated the military’s decision to marginalise extremist groups.
The largest of those organisations, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), was banned late last year. Many of its leaders were imprisoned, while its mosques were sealed and bank accounts frozen.
A previously unreported government document cited by Reuters described the group as a “serious threat” to Pakistan, saying its activities had undermined internal peace and damaged the country’s international reputation. TLP has rejected the ban as unconstitutional.
The crackdown also comes amid concerns that anti-Western campaigns by extremist groups could jeopardise Pakistan’s preferential trade access to the European Union, which accounts for nearly one-third of the country’s exports.
The Trump administration has also continued to raise concerns over the treatment of Christians in Pakistan, while the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that Pakistan remain designated as a Country of Particular Concern over its blasphemy laws.
Despite the apparent improvement in security, rights advocates caution that blasphemy remains punishable by death under Pakistani law and that decades of extremist influence cannot easily be reversed.
Former counter-terrorism chief Ihsan Ghani warned that the ideology underpinning such groups remains deeply rooted and could resurface if political circumstances change.
For many members of Pakistan’s Christian, Shi’ite and Ahmadi minority communities, however, the reduction in mob violence has provided cautious optimism.
One Christian woman rescued during the Karachi incident told Reuters that while her family now feels physically safe, the fear created by years of persecution has not disappeared.
Boluwatife Enome
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