The court has approved the bail of religious scholar Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza in a case related to religious hatred and ordered his immediate release.
Justice Sadaqat Khan of the Rawalpindi High Court bench approved the bail and instructed Mirza to submit two surety bonds worth Rs. 500,000 each.
The FIA Cyber Crime Wing had registered a case against Mirza on allegations of insulting sacred personalities.
According to the FIA’s lawyer, a formal religious decree (fatwa) has already been issued against the accused.
The court stated that the fatwa should be presented before the trial court, and that only bail-related arguments would be heard here. Details, evidence, and the fatwa are to be reviewed by the trial court.
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Meanwhile, religious scholar Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court against the FIA’s investigation. The petition, submitted through Advocate Nabeel Javed Kahlon, names the FIA and Punjab Quran Board as respondents.
In the petition, Mirza argued that the FIA started its investigation without issuing him a notice and sent a video from social media to the Punjab Quran Board for a fatwa.
The application further states that the Punjab Quran Board has declared the petitioner guilty based on an old video, even though the board does not have the authority to issue fatwas. The board only oversees the publication of the Holy Quran.
