Ahmad Waqass Goraya (Urdu: احمد وقاص گورایا) is a Pakistani-born activist and blogger based in the Netherlands.^[1] He is among several Pakistani bloggers and authors overseas who are critics of the Pakistan Army^[2] who have been persecuted, tortured^[3] and threatened.^[4][3] They include Salman Haider,^[5] Gul Bukhari,^[6] and others.^[7]

In January 2017 Goraya became victim of enforced disappearance^[8] along with five other bloggers and were released after several weeks. He was abducted from Lahore on January 4, 2017.^[8] He and other activists were tortured by Pakistani intelligence agency ISI in the detention.^[2][9][1] And later in 2017 he moved back to Netherlands^[10] where has been living since 2007.^[11][12]

In March 2017 he was accused of blasphemy by Salman Shahid, associated with Islamabad's Red Mosque.^[13] The blasphemy charge was proven false.^[14]

Goraya and his family have been threatened multiple times to silence him.^[15] Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Amnesty International has condemned threatening families to silence activists, especially Goraya.^[16][17]

In February 2020, Goraya was attacked and threatened by two men outside his home in Rotterdam^[3]

In February 2021, Goraya was moved out of his residence but Dutch Police citing threats to his life.^[18]

In June 2021 a British-Pakistani Muhammad Gohir Khan was charged by Crown Prosecution Service with one count conspiracy to murder of Ahmad Waqass Goraya^[19] and found guilty in January 2022 ^[20] Muhammad Gohir Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 March 2022 with 13 years minimum time to serve.^[21]“The charge was that between the 16th day of February 2021 and the 24th day of June 2021” Khan conspired to Murder Ahmad Waqass Goraya in connivance with unknown persons.^[18]

In January 2022 the Crown Prosecution Service revealed that Pakistani Intelligence Services hired Muhammad Gohir Khan to kill Goraya by offering £100,000.^[22][23][24]

Muhammad Gohir Khan, a UK based Pakistani living in East London, formerly ran a cargo company Worldwide Cargo Services, and was in debt for £200,000.^[7] He was contacted through a handler Muzamil, who would have received £20,000 as his cut.^[25] Detectives uncovered thousands of messages between Khan and ‘Mudz - also referred to as ‘Ali’ ‘Zed’ and ‘Papa’ - detailing plans for the murder.^[21] Muzamil managed to deposit £5000 in a Pakistani bank account of a person named Muhammad Amin Asif.^[26] The money was to laundered using the illegal Hundi channel starting with a deposit in Pakistani private bank.^[27]