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Pakistan

• Vigilante Groups Orchestrate Online Blasphemy Cases

  

  While accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan are common and can be motivated by interpersonal conflicts or business disputes, there has been a nofigure increase in allegations based on social media posts. (To read previously published reports about Christians who have been charged with blasphemy, go to our country profile.)
  
  According to the research findings of the AFP news agency, many such cases are taking place as a result of organized "vigilante groups" led by lawyers and the support of volunteers scouring the Internet for offenders. In some cases, unsuspecting social media participants are duped by strangers into sharing content that could be deemed blasphemous, resulting in police reports being filed against them.

• Bail Granted for Christians Facing Blasphemy Charges

  

  The previous week's Persecution & Prayer Alert reported on an unusual case in which bail was granted to Saima Masih, a Christian woman who was accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. (Read the previously published report.)While Saima has been freed from prison, she remains in danger from the avenging violence of militant vigilantes who are seeking to achieve what they falsely perceive as "justice." Remarkably, this past October, two similar blasphemy cases came before the Pakistani courts in which other accused Christians were also released on bail.

• Teen Girl Released from her Abductors

  

  On September 12th, 16-year-old Diya Iftikhar was abducted from her family's home by three men who are well-known for their opposition to Christians. In a video message to her parents four days later, Diya stated that she had converted to Islam and married Ghazaal Jutt, one of her kidnappers. (Review a previous report.)

• Bail Granted for Woman Accused of Blasphemy

  

  In August of this year, two Christian sisters were accused of blasphemy when a Muslim man claimed to find ruined pages of the Quran amongst garbage, stating that one of the sisters had discarded them. Both sisters denied his allegation, believing that the pages were purposely placed there by the man himself because of the personal vendetta he had against them. (More about the situation is available here.)

• Youth Forcibly Converted by Employer and Held Against His Will

  

  The Muslim owner of a liquified petroleum gas outlet has been accused of forcibly converting a 17-year-old Christian employee and then holding him against his will, according to the youth's parents. Samsoon Javed was hired in July to work at a business owned by Umar Manzoor in the Sheikhupura District of Punjab. Soon after, Samsoon's family began noticing changes in the Christian teen's behaviour.

• Medical Care Denied to Elderly Christian

  

  On October 1st, Yousaf Masih Gill took his gravely ill father to the Civil Hospital in Sahiwal, Punjab, for urgent medical treatment. Seeking a doctor to care for his father, Yousaf eventually located the hospital staff, who were playing a game together. Finally, one of the physicians examined the elderly man. However, the doctor told Yousaf, "If I had known earlier that you are a Christian, I would not have touched your father."

• Zafar Bhatti's Ongoing Struggle for Justice

  

  Zafar Bhatti is listed as Pakistan's longest-serving blasphemy prisoner. Since the day of his arrest on July 12th, 2012, the Christian man has remained in prison. During harsh police interrogation, Zafar was forced to confess to blasphemy. He has since recanted the previously made statement, asserting that it was spoken while under duress. During his time in prison, the believer has also encountered various health concerns. (For previously published reports on Zafar's case, see this page.)

• Kidnapped Teen Forcibly Converted to Islam and Married

  

  A 16-year-old Christian girl in Jaranwala, Punjab, was kidnapped on September 12th before being forced to convert to Islam and marry one of her captors. On the day of the attack, Diya Iftikhar was at home with her four sisters. The family's neighbours state that they saw three armed men force Diya into a white Suzuki van, which then sped away. The men have since been identified as Ghazaal Jutt, Afzal Jutt and Ramzan Jutt.

• Christian Woman Convicted of Blasphemy

  

  In July 2021, Shagufta Kiran was arrested after she forwarded a message in a WhatsApp group chat. The Christian woman was charged with intentionally offending religious feelings and insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad. While awaiting the court process, the accused believer has remained in custody since the time of her arrest. Following the allegations, Shagufta's family received constant threats. As a result, her husband Rafique and their children have been forced to relocate multiple times in search of safety. For previously published reports on this believer's case, see this page.

• Christian Brothers Charged with Blasphemy

  

  Shail Masih and his twin brother Rahil were celebrating at a village fair on August 26th. Along with many other community members, the 18-year-old Christian brothers went on a carnival ride and threw fake currency notes into the crowd. Unfortunately, it was discovered that some of the slips of paper thrown by the participants contained Quranic verses. It was assumed by those present that the young Christian men were the ones responsible, leading to the arrest of their mother and grandfather.