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A case has been registered in Lahore against Pakistani YouTuber Rajab Butt, accusing him of hurting religious sentiments.
The FIR, filed under the PECA Act and Section 295A, references his video statements and the launch of his perfume named 295.
The complaint, lodged by Syed Haider Ali Shah Gilani, alleges that Butt’s remarks insult Sections 295-A and 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Notably, these laws allow arrest without a warrant if religious sentiments are incited. The FIR also mentions Indian singer Sidhu Moosewala, whose song ‘295’ previously sparked controversy in India.
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Before the FIR, Butt had issued a public apology via video, holding the Holy Quran and clarifying that naming his perfume ‘295’ was unintentional. He announced that he was discontinuing the product and regretted his ‘ignorant choice of words’.
Butt’s lawyer, Irfan Naqvi, argues that his client was unaware of the blasphemy law references and that people are politicizing the issue.
He also questioned the logic of criminalizing numbers, asking, ‘If 295 appears on a vehicle or house number, will FIRs be filed for that too?’
Previously, Lahore police arrested Rajab Butt in December 2023 for possessing a lion cub and unlicensed weapons, sentencing him to one year of community service.
