High Court Grants Bail to Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, Orders Immediate Release

Lahore: The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court has approved the bail of religious scholar Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza in a case related to alleged religious hatred, ordering his immediate release.

Justice Sadaqat Khan granted bail against two surety bonds worth Rs 500,000 each.

The FIA Cyber Crime Wing had registered a case against Mirza on allegations of disrespecting sacred personalities. According to the FIA’s counsel, a formal religious decree (fatwa) had been issued against the accused. The court, however, remarked that such matters should be presented before the trial court, stating, “Bring the fatwa to the trial court. Here, only arguments related to bail will be heard. The trial court will review the evidence, details, and the fatwa.”

Meanwhile, Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court challenging the FIA investigation. The petition, submitted through Advocate Nabeel Javed Kahlon, names the FIA and the Punjab Quran Board as respondents.

Mirza contended that the FIA initiated an investigation without issuing him a notice. He stated that the FIA sent an old video from social media to the Punjab Quran Board for a fatwa. According to the petition, the Punjab Quran Board declared him “guilty” based on that video, despite having no authority to issue such religious rulings. The board’s mandate, he argued, is limited to overseeing the publication of the Holy Quran.

The petition requests the court to nullify the fatwa issued against him and order the termination of the investigation.