Zafar Bhatti, a Pakistani Christian who has been imprisoned since 2012 in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, charged with sending blasphemous text messages has said he is still strong in his Christian faith. He told CLAAS’s team, who obtained special permission to meet him inside the jail, that because of his ill-health he is going through difficult…
A Senate panel in Pakistan has rejected two bills. One was seeking the protection of minorities, and the other sought amendments to the Muslim family laws. The Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony met under the chairmanship of Maulana Ghafoor Haideri. Last month the Protection of Rights of Minorities Bill, 2020 was introduced…
A Christian father of two has been arrested by police on suspicion of stealing 2.2 million rupees worth of hospital medicines. Imran Masih, 33, of Canal Park Christian Colony, Rahim Yar Khan, had been working as a cleaner on daily wages at Sheikh Zaid Government Hospital for six years. Sunil Masih, a relative of Imran’s…
Pakistani police have arrested a Christian man from the northwestern city of Nowshera on suspicion of committing blasphemy, according to local reports. Nowshera Police arrested the man in the city after local people in Risalpure accused him of desecrating the Holy Quran. The man, identified as David, was detained under the blasphemy laws after the…
On August 24 the Parliamentary Committee to protect minorities from forced conversions was briefed by Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Dr. Qibla Ayaz and Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari in relation to further discussion on the matter. Dr Ayaz said the matter of marriage of minor girls and their conversion is an…
A Christian girl, Anika Shehzad, 18, from Ferozwala district Shakhupura, who was working as a domestic servant was beaten after refusing to convert to Islam, and accused of theft. Anika comes from a poor family, and to support her family she accepted a job for Rs. 5000, around $30 a month, as a live in…
A 21-year-old Christian man, Sagar Shamoun, a factory worker of Youhanabad has allegedly been killed by his Muslim colleague who wanted to regain his position at work. Sagar’s body was found by the patrolling police away from his home. When Sagar didn’t return home after a few days, his family tried to find him everywhere…
Pakistan’s National Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution making Quaid-e-Azam’s speech of August 11,1947 a part of the syllabus. The resolution was adopted by the house with consensus. According to the resolution Quaid-e-Azam had delivered a speech in the first constituent assembly which should be made a part of the syllabus. Talking to the PCN…
A Pakistani court has ruled that a 14-year-old Christian girl legally married a Muslim man who allegedly abducted her at gunpoint. The girl’s mother, Nighat Shahbaz of Madina Town, Faisalabad, has registered a case at the local police station against Muslim man, Naqash. She believes he kidnapped her daughter Maira Shahbaz. Maira was abducted in…
A Christian man, Sohail Masih from Abidabad, Nowshera Virkan has been charged with committing blasphemy. He has been accused of insulting Islamic personalities on Facebook. According to reports as soon as the police came to know about this, they arrested him on August 5 and took him to the police station. But as soon as…
