ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court, challenging the October 28, 2025, acquittal of an Islamabad-based woman by the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench in a blasphemy case. The woman had earlier been awarded capital punishment by a trial court.

Filed through the office of the Additional Attorney General, the appeal questions the judgement of the LHC Rawalpindi Bench, which had declined to confirm the death sentence awarded to Ms Aneeqa Ateeq, holding that the prosecution’s evidence against her was neither convincing not trustworthy. The high court had ruled that the conviction and sentence awarded by the trial court could not be sustained.

The case against Ms Ateeq originated from a complaint filed by Hasnat Farooq, who alleged that he received sacrilegious material on his mobile phone from a WhatsApp number linked to her. Consequently, an FIR was registered in 2010 under Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, read with Sections 295-A, 295-C, 298-A, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In January 2022, an additional sessions judge in Rawalpindi convicted Ms Ateeq and awarded her the death penalty under Section 295-C PPC. She was also sentenced to a cumulative 20 years’ imprisonment on other charges, including 10 years under Section 295-A PPC and seven years under Peca.

In its appeal, the NCCIA pleaded that the findings of the high court were based on an incorrect exposition of law and resulted from a misreading of facts and improper appreciation of evidence.

The appeal contended that the prosecution’s case was primarily based on digital evidence extracted from the mobile phone of the respondent through forensic analysis. It argued that the high court failed to appreciate that the recovery of the mobile phone had been conclusively proved by the prosecution and that at no stage during the trial did the respondent deny ownership of the device.

It further stated that during cross-examination of prosecution witnesses, the respondent consistently admitted to committing the delinquency attributed to her.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2026