In 2024, a group of researchers and activists set out on a challenging mission: to map out instances of hate speech and blasphemy-related violence across Pakistan. A member of the research team, who wished to remain anonymous, said their work focused on documenting posters and slogans on blasphemy and not talking to people. But when they spoke to people, they had to pretend that they supported the blasphemy laws. “I was in a shop, and took a picture of a poster without consent,” he recalled one incident. The poster called for attacking or killing anyone who “disrespected” Prophet Muhammad. “The shop owner grabbed me and asked: what are you doing? So, I had to tell him I thought this [the poster] was cool.”  In another incident of confrontation during field documentation, he had to misrepresent his views on the persecuted minority Ahmadis to ensure his own safety. “I took a…

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