The Power of Speech and the Fear of Truth
Human beings are set apart from all other creatures by one defining trait — speech. Through words, we give form to our thoughts, express conscience, and question the world around us. Yet throughout history, those in power have feared this freedom more than any weapon. From Plato and Galileo to Martin Luther, countless thinkers and reformers were silenced for daring to speak against oppression.
This same struggle between truth and tyranny continues in the modern world, especially where religion and state power merge to control thought. In Pakistan, that battle took a deeply personal turn in 2017 — when the government issued the first proclamation order in the nation’s history under the blasphemy and anti-terrorism laws. The name on that order was mine.
Speaking Out for Pakistan’s Christians
Since 2014, I, Faraz Pervaiz, have spoken out against the injustices faced by Pakistan’s Christian community. I used social media, cartoons, and videos to expose the misuse of draconian blasphemy laws, forced conversions, churches bombings, and mob violence. I also criticized extremist mullahs and jihadists such as Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid, who glorified the Taliban, promoted violence in the name of Islam, and sought to impose Sharia law in Pakistan.
There were several Facebook pages, one of which was called Maulvi Burqa. The name came from the Lal Masjid operation, when Maulana Abdul Aziz was caught trying to escape while disguised in a burqa. Many of my videos about Islam, Muhammad and Maulana Abdul Aziz Maulvi Burqa were shared on that page — the same videos I posted on my personal Facebook account. Within seconds of uploading them, my videos criticizing Islamists and calling for the arrest of Maulana Abdul Aziz would start circulating on that and other main pages.
My activism came from faith, not hatred. I demanded equal rights for Christians and accountability for terrorists. I called on the government to act against hate preachers and protect innocent citizens. But in Pakistan, to question Islam and Muhammad is to invite danger.
The FIR That Changed Everything
On March 19, 2017, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing, Islamabad, registered FIR No. 07/2017 under Pakistan’s harshest laws — Sections 295-A, 295-B, 295-C, 298-A, 298-B of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, and Sections 6(F), 7(B), and 9 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
Hafiz Ehtesham Ahmed Jihadi, a representative of the Lal Masjid Foundation — a network linked to extremist activities — filed the complaint. He accused me and my father, Pervaiz Roshan, of “blasphemy” over social media posts that criticized the misuse of Islam and the government’s silence on the persecution of Christians.
Under these laws, the punishment for blasphemy is either life imprisonment or death.
The First Proclamation Order in Pakistan’s History
On November 14, 2017, the Government of Pakistan went a step further. It issued an unprecedented Proclamation Order declaring me as proclaimed offenders — the first such action ever taken in Pakistan under blasphemy-related charges.
This order was published in leading national newspapers — Dawn, Jang, and Express — and posted on the FIA’s official website.
It was not merely a bureaucratic act. It was a public condemnation — a declaration that we were enemies of the state and of Islam. The repercussions were immediate and devastating.
A Life in Exile and Constant Threat
Following the proclamation, our lives collapsed overnight. Threats poured in from Islamist groups. Muslim clerics and Islamic organizations began calling for our execution.
Countless protest demonstrations were held against me and my family in various cities across Pakistan. Almost all religious and banned jihadist groups announced head bounties on me, and even in India, protests were staged demanding my arrest or killing.
In Karachi, Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, a Barelvi sect of Islam publicly announced a head bounty of Rs. 10 million for my killing.
Friends distanced themselves. Our property was targeted. My family had to flee for safety, leaving behind everything we owned. Since then, we have lived in exile — stateless, hunted, and unable to return home. The proclamation order didn’t just criminalize my words — it erased my place in the country I once called home.
The Broader Struggle: Religion, Power, and Expression
Throughout history, there has always been an alliance between those in power and the mullahs — the officials who demand obedience and the Muslim mullahs who fear questions. Together, they silence every voice that seeks the truth.
Religious leaders often oppose restrictions when they are victims, yet impose the same when they gain power. This hypocrisy continues to poison societies where faith is used as a shield for oppression.
If Islam truly came from God, it should have nothing to fear from questions. Truth can withstand scrutiny. Only falsehood needs protection from speech. The fear of words reveals a weakness — the insecurity of those who claim to speak for God but cannot tolerate dissent.
The Human Cost of Silencing Dissent
My story is not just about one case. It reflects the broader tragedy of freedom of expression in Pakistan. Draconian Blasphemy laws, once justified as protecting Islam, are now used as weapons to settle personal vendettas, silence Christians, and maintain control through fear.
Christians, Hindus, and even Muslims who interpret faith differently live under constant threat. The proclamation order against me marked a turning point — showing how the state, rather than defending freedom, stood with jihadis to crush a peaceful voice for justice.
Conclusion: Words That Cannot Be Killed
The 2017 proclamation order remains a historical first — the first time Pakistan formally declared a citizen a proclaimed offender for online speech under draconian blasphemy laws. It changed my life forever, forcing me into exile and endless danger.
But I still believe what I said years ago: Speech is the essence of being human. To silence it is to deny humanity itself.
My voice — like the voices of countless others before me — cannot be erased. It continues to speak for those who have none, for those persecuted in the name of faith, and for a Pakistan where truth can one day be spoken without fear.
Siddi Nasrani says
You are very brave & courageous gentleman, I salute you Sir.
This is one of my favourite blessing.
May, The Lord bless you
and keep you;
May the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
Amen & Hallelujah.
John1 says
Another example why Pakistan should not get one cent of American aid, one grain of American rice, and Pakis living in the USA be blocked blocked from send money to Pakistan , until Pakistan changes it’s draconian blasphemy laws.
Westman says
Faraz Pervaiz was charged that he, “..willfully defiled and outraged religious feelings..”
Oh, no, not outraged! Haven’t we seen enough intolerant, outraged, Muslims to last a lifetime?
Enraged is a sign of personal weakness, a fear to examine one’s own foundations and find he may not be, “The Best Of Peoples”. There is a reason for 5 prayers a day, a cult-like ritual to ensure the individual has less time to think of leaving Islam and a reminder that the “brothers” about him will oppose it with more than words. Islam has its own Stockholm Syndrome.
Invoking Islamic blasphemy laws is equivalent to witch hunting in Salem. Much of that outrage is feigned. It’s a license to steal from other internal societies without those on-the-road invasions for booty that can’t be done anymore. Of course, this only works if the goverment is guided by an “outraged” aggressive religion.
Faraz Pervaiz lost everything yet what Pakistan did lives forever on the Internet, taking another nibble of respect and economy from it. This isn’t the method to garner investment.
Faraz is the kind of courageous man the West desperately needs.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I sympathize w/ you, Mr Roshan, but you’re overlooking one basic factoid. Pakistan’s entire raison d’être is being an islamic state. Otherwise, it would have had no reason to be a separate country from India. What exacerbates it, IMO, is India deciding to be a secular country open to even muslims: that seems to have convinced Pakistan that they need to be on an ISIS level of fanaticism in order to justify their existence. And now Bangladesh is catching up
IMO, India should have, or still should, officially declare itself a Hindu state. Follow the Israel example, and declare themselves the natural home of all Hindus, Jains and Sikhs from anywhere in the world (not including Khalistani activists), and full rights to Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Zoroastrians of Indian descent, but not muslims. Start by expelling all Bangladeshis, Rohingyas and Pakis, and then all jihad-believing Indian muslims. Those Indian muslims who accept India being a Hindu state can stay, but not otherwise
As for Pakistan (and Bangladesh), I do hope for a day when either
⮞ All non-muslims safely make it out of there, so that muslims have only each other to kill OR
⮞ Both those countries as well as India get completely de-islamized
GE says
I wish you would replace Modi—
You’d make an excellent leader.
OLD GUY says
American foreign aid should NEVER go to Islamic countries or any other country that is anti-American or violates human rights. As a matter of fact charity should come from the American people, not the Federal Government.
Alkflaeda says
I’ve occasionally thought that it is a pity that we cannot send the men convicted of sexual abuse via the grooming gangs to Pakistan, and take some of their religious minorities in exchange. After all, they would be getting new citizens who had been imprisoned for attempting to enforce sharia law – specifically their right to “women of the right hand” – on non-Muslims, so they are exactly the sort of people who should fit in with Pakistan’s values.