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Pakistan

• Church Service Stormed by Mob

  

  Police have increased security around The Voice of Jesus Church in Khokhar, Pakistan, after a mob of approximately 40 men disrupted an evening service on April 16th. Thankfully, the injuries perpetrated by the mob were minimal. Even so, the church's gates and windows were damaged during the incident, and three bullet holes were left in the outer wall of the building.

• Father of Kidnapped Child Murdered

  

  On March 30th, the Persecution & Prayer Alert reported on a 12-year-old girl who had been kidnapped and, after being recovered, was placed in a women's shelter rather than being returned to her father. Young Hoorab Masih had been abducted by two local shopkeepers in December and then forced to convert to Islam and marry one of her kidnappers. For more details on the incident, see this page.

• Court Sends Child Bride to Shelter

  

  Hoorab Masih went missing on December 28th after she failed to return from grocery shopping. It was soon discovered that the 12-year-old had been kidnapped by a local shopkeeper, Muhammad Mustafa, and his co-worker, Muhammad Usman, who then forcibly converted the Christian girl to Islam. A few days later, Hoorab was found in a women's shelter after the arrests of Mustafa and Usman. However, when the two men were released on bail, they disappeared, along with Hoorab.

• Acquitted Christian Remains in "Virtual Prison"

  

  In 2013, Sawan Masih was arrested after his neighbour accused him of committing blasphemy. When the accused Christian man was convicted in 2014, he received the death sentence. After serving six years in prison, he was acquitted of all charges on October 5th, 2020, by the Lahore High Court. For more details on his case, go to this page.

• Teenager Forcibly Married to 60-Year-Old Man

  

  Sitara Arif, a 15-year-old Christian girl, was kidnapped on December 15th in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Abducted by the husband of her employer, she was forcibly converted to Islam and then married to her captor. It took almost two months for police to finally register a case against Rana Tayyab, despite repeated pleas from the girl's family.

• Christian Farmers Killed in Two Separate Attacks

  

  Muhammad Waseem, a Muslim landowner in Punjab's Khanewal district, assaulted and killed a Christian farm labourer on February 6th after accusing the believer of stealing oranges from his property. The victim, Emmanuel Masih, was irrigating the orchard at around 3 a.m. when he was approached by Muhammad and four other men. Though Emmanuel pled his innocence, the five men brutally beat the married father of six to death.

• Official Threatens Christian with Blasphemy Charges

  

  A Christian security guard at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, was recently threatened with blasphemy charges because she insisted on following regulations. Thankfully, the incident was captured on video footage, documenting the entire exchange.

• Young Domestic Worker Sexually Assaulted

  

  A Christian girl in Pakistan who worked as a domestic servant is still awaiting justice three months after she was raped at her employer's home. Even though the incident was reported to police, no action has been taken to arrest those responsible.

• Family Under Threat Unless Father Renounces Christianity

  

  Yasir Masih, a father of two, resides in Karachi, Pakistan. Several months ago, the Christian man's wife left their home after being convinced by Yasir's aunt to convert to Islam. Since that time, other members of the family have been pressuring him to also convert.

• Escaped Child Bride Seeks Annulment

  

  Anita Emmanuel was 16 years old when she was kidnapped by her rickshaw driver over a year ago in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Since both of her parents worked, arrangements had been made for Muhammad Wasim to drop the Christian teenager off at school each day and then bring her home after classes. Everything was fine until Muhammad began to become more friendly and, unfortunately, Anita did not recognize the warning signs.