Pakistan's blasphemy laws

Alan Johnston presents a special essay by Jill McGivering on the social, legal and political controversy surrounding the laws on blasphemy in Pakistan.

Two very senior Pakistani politicians, the former governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, and former minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, were killed earlier this year after raising doubts about these statues.

In a deeply religious - and deeply divided- country, incidents of alleged blasphemy can cause violent unrest as well as public outrage. Jill McGivering has been to Pakistan to investigate a series of alleged abuses of the laws, and finds that public debate on the issue is being stifled by 'an atmosphere of frightened silence'.