He was exposed.
A Pakistani high court judge resigned last week after media reports exposed his alleged connections to a criminal group involved in falsely accusing individuals, including Christians, of blasphemy. Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of the Lahore High Court (LHC) submitted his resignation on March 6, citing “personal reasons.” He had been appointed to the court in November 2016. His resignation was welcomed by several lawyers, particularly those defending individuals accused of blasphemy, who shared their concerns about his conduct during trials. One anonymous Muslim attorney noted that Aziz had recently issued a stay order against actions related to a National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) report criticizing blasphemy cases in the country.
Aziz’s alleged ties to a “blasphemy business gang” were uncovered in an investigative report by Fact Focus, a banned website in Pakistan. The report claimed that Aziz had worked closely with attorney Rao Abdul Rahim, who was accused of masterminding the false blasphemy charges. One case highlighted was that of Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl falsely accused of blasphemy in 2012, which was later proved to be fabricated. Despite the case’s falseness, Aziz was appointed as a high court judge just a few years later. The report also suggested that Aziz had a history of handling numerous blasphemy cases in ways that appeared biased, including delaying bail decisions and pressuring law enforcement to pursue specific investigations.
The NCHR report, which was challenged by Rahim, highlighted significant flaws in the handling of blasphemy cases, urging the creation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to oversee such cases more fairly. It also recommended disciplinary actions against officials involved in bribery or illegal arrests in these cases. In response to the revelations, some legal experts believed that Aziz’s resignation was influenced by growing international pressure on Pakistan to address human rights violations, particularly the rising number of false blasphemy charges in recent years.
Several Christian lawyers shared their experiences of facing bias from Aziz in court. Aneeqa Maria, a Christian attorney, recalled how Aziz had pressured police to add additional charges against her clients in a blasphemy case. Another lawyer, Lazar Allah Rakha, described how Aziz recused himself from a case where the other judge was about to acquit two Muslim suspects in a blasphemy case, effectively preventing their release. These incidents highlighted the alleged religious prejudice and interference in legal processes that characterized Aziz’s tenure as a judge. The resignation of Justice Aziz comes amid continued concerns about religious persecution in Pakistan, which ranks as one of the most challenging countries for Christians, according to Open Doors’ World Watch List.