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Pakistan·Human Rights·Democracy

Pakistani podcast host Rehan Tariq granted bail in blasphemy case

Wednesday, 22 July 2026, 06:37 · 1 min read

A sessions court in Lahore, Pakistan, has granted post-arrest bail to YouTuber and podcast host Rehan Tariq, who was arrested under the country's blasphemy laws and cybercrime legislation after conducting a podcast with a religious scholar on sectarian topics. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which registered the case and detained Tariq at Lahore's international airport on his return from abroad, argued he had deliberately raised controversial questions likely to provoke religious discord — though prosecutors acknowledged the scholar who appeared as a guest was not named in the complaint. The court allowed the bail petition after Tariq's defence argued that no evidence linked him to the alleged uploads, that the charges fell under a non-prohibitory clause, and that questioning historical or religious matters constitutes a constitutionally protected journalistic activity.

Sources
DawnCourt grants post-arrest bail to podcast host Rehan Tariq in blasphemy case ↗︎
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