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Pakistan

• Christian Man Charged for Alleged Facebook Posts

  

  On March 17th, Pakistani federal agents took 24-year-old Arsalan Gill into custody on accusations of blasphemy. The charges allege that the Christian believer was responsible for sharing blasphemous content in Facebook groups. His arrest takes place amid a rising number of cases involving entrapment, whereby organized militant groups specifically target members of the country's religious minorities.

• Guilty Verdict for Christian's Killer

  

  On November 9th, 2023, a follower of Jesus named Farhan Ul Qamar was killed in his family's home by a man who is well-known in the community for his hatred towards Christians and Jews. It is believed that the violence may have been instigated by a minor disagreement that took place the day before the attack. (For more details on the incident, see this report.)

• Christian Man Assaulted and Humiliated

  

  On February 27th, an impoverished Christian man named Wasif Masih was collecting wood along the road when he was confronted by a group of six Muslim landowners. The men verbally abused the believer, referring to him as "chuhra" – a term frequently used in Pakistan to insult Christians. The perpetrators then physically beat Wasif and detained him for four hours on a poultry farm.

• Brutal Attack on Christian Worker

  

  A 22-year-old Christian man was brutally attacked by his supervisor at a paper mill in Sharaqpur, Punjab, when he refused to renounce his faith in Christ. Having sustained severe injuries to his throat on March 21st, Waqas Masih was hospitalized in Lahore where his condition has been reported as critical but stable.

• Resignation of Judge Implicated in Blasphemy Entrapment

  

  On March 6th, Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of the Lahore High Court unexpectedly resigned from his judicial post as a court official, effective immediately. The judge cited "personal issues" as the reason for his resignation.

• Needed Freedom from Kidnapping

  

  On January 5th, 12-year-old Saba Shafique was abducted from her home in Lahore, Pakistan, and forced to convert to Islam before being married to her abductor. This devastating incident occurred despite the country's laws prohibiting child marriage.

• Court Calls for Inquiry into Blasphemy Cases

  

  In late 2024, an investigation by the AFP news agency revealed that a startling number of Christians in Pakistan have been falsely accused of blasphemy by members of organized "vigilante groups" who intentionally deceived followers of Jesus into sharing content that was deemed blasphemous. (See this page for more details.)

• Acquittal for Christian Brothers

  

  Twin brothers Sahil and Raheel (also spelled "Rahil") Shahid were arrested in August 2024 and charged with blasphemy. The young Christian men were accused of throwing scraps of paper containing Quranic verses from an amusement park ride. For more details on the original incident, go to this page.

• Young Teen Kidnapped

  

  On January 9th, a 14-year-old Christian girl was kidnapped just outside her home. The abducted teen's family is concerned that those responsible are planning to forcibly convert her to Islam and then make the young girl marry one of her attackers.

• Christian Woman Killed, Daughter Wounded

  

  On January 6th, two Christian women had been returning home from work in Gujranwala when they were approached and shot by two men on a motorcycle. During the attack, Shabana and her 18-year-old daughter Misbah were both struck by bullets. The mother was instantly killed at the scene, while Misbah received a serious bullet wound to her back – requiring urgently needed hospitalization for treatment. At last report, the Christian teen remains in critical condition.