اظہار رائے کی آزادی بمقابلہ مقدس شخصیات کا احترام:پاکستانی قانون کا بین الاقوامی انسانی حقوق کے معیارات سے تقابلی جائزہ

Freedom of Expression vs Respect for Sacred Persons: Comparative Assessment of Pakistani Law with International Human Rights Standards

Abstract

This paper provides a scholarly overview of the jurisprudential, legal, and international conflict between freedom of expression and respect for sacred religious figures. The paper analyzes in detail Articles 295 to 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code (including sub-sections 295-A, 295-B, 295-C, 298-A, 298-B, 298-C) and compares them with Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), General Comment No. 34 of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Rabat Plan of Action, and the relevant decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. The paper also considers the debate over what freedom of expression and respect for sacred figures really mean, and the extent to which the state can restrict freedom of expression in the name of protecting religious sentiments. Research shows that while the two legal systems appear to have a common goal of religious respect and social harmony, the breadth of Pakistani law, the severity of the sentences (especially the mandatory death penalty in Article 295-C), and the lack of clarity of intention (mens rea) seem to contradict international standards, particularly the principle of necessity and proportionality.