Photo: Wikimedia / Sarwanmemon.muet (cc)
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.
On January 25th, court officials ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict the 18-year-old Christians, and that police had failed to properly investigate the charges. As a result, the judge overseeing the case ordered that the brothers be acquitted and released from prison. The judge also launched an official inquiry into the investigating officer. The defence lawyer believes that the fabricated accusations could be part of an attempt to seize the property of the believers.
False accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan are frequently driven by self-seeking personal and financial motives. Further information on the various challenges being encountered by Christians in Pakistan is available at our country report.
- We can give thanks to God for this recent court decision which has resulted in the long-awaited freedom of these young Christian brothers.
- Pray that there will not be any resulting backlash perpetrated against these young men nor the members of their families; rather may they experience the Lord's divine protection, wisdom and peace as they deal with the aftermath of the accusations.
- Continue to pray for the many other followers of Jesus who are similarly facing false accusations in Pakistan, asking that the harmful blasphemy laws would be repealed or amended to recognize the constitutional rights of citizens belonging to the country's vulnerable minority groups.
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