The criminal group allegedly abducted, tortured, and extorted people accused of blasphemy in Pakistan
A Pakistani Muslim cleric honored by Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally has been accused of protecting an alleged extortion gang linked to abductions and torture, The Telegraph reported on Thursday.
The head of the Church of England withdrew an interfaith award from Tahir Ashrafi, Pakistan’s special envoy on interfaith harmony, last week, just six days after presenting it to him.
According to The Telegraph, Ashrafi’s brother allegedly leads a so-called “blasphemy gang” in Pakistan that entraps young men online and blackmails them with threats of prosecution under the country’s blasphemy laws. The newspaper said the group was behind “a huge surge” in the number of people jailed for blasphemy in recent years. Blasphemy can carry the death penalty in Pakistan.
Ashrafi has publicly defended his brother and called a judge investigating the alleged gang a “dog,” according to the British newspaper.
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