Fifty-seven people have been charged by the Pakistani anti-terrorism court in connection with the lynching of Mashal Khan. Khan, 23, who was a student at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan was shot dead and attacked by a mob on April 13 after he was accused of posting blasphemous material online. Graphic videos of the killing…
A Pakistani Christian man has been sentenced to death after he was accused of sending a Muslim friend a blasphemous Whatsapp message. On July 10 last year Yasir Bashir accused Nadeem James of sending him over a poem that included derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohamed and other holy figures. Later that day the police…
Tensions have been growing in the village of Puran Pura, Komokey District Gujranwala, Punjab, after a conflict between the local Christians and Muslims of the village over the issue of church property. A Muslim Dogar family belongs to political party Tehreek-e-Insaf and during the election campaign in 2013 they wanted support from the Christian community.…
Christian villagers have been facing threats of a possible attack from local Muslims amid amplified tensions between them. Details have emerged that Christians in villages number 36, 37 and 38 located in Division Quaid Abad of District Khushab are imperilled as they anticipate retaliatory action from Muslims. The clashes begun after local Christian boy Sunil…
A young Pakistani Chrisitan student has been brutally beaten to death by a Muslim classmate. Sharoon Masih was killed by Ahmed Raza, at MC Model Boys Government High School Burewala, District Vehari, southern Punjab on August 30, 2017. He was the lone Christian student of 9th grade and had recently joined the school. On the…
On Friday 25th August the Pakistani senate passed the compulsory teaching of Holy Quran bill 2017. The education minister tabled the bill which was unanimously approved. Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman said being a Muslim it is necessary for us to convey Islamic teachings to our children. The National Assembly had already passed this bill on…
After the of death Indriyas Masih on 21 August CLAAS-PK moved an application in the court of Mr Sajjad Ahmed, Judge in the Anti-terrorism court of Lahore for the medical examination of all 41-prisoners detained in the Youhanabad case. The lawyer said that as Indriyas was living with other co-accused and there was no proper…
Police have arrested an 18-year-old Christian boy with learning difficulties after it was claimed he had burned pages from the Quran outside a local Muslim shrine. Asif Massih, was arrested on the evening of August 12 after police received the allegations. He has been charged under section 295-B of Pakistan’s penal code, part of the…
The Islamabad High Court has suggested tackling the misuse of the blasphemy law by imposing the same punishment for those who misuse it or make false allegations, as the offence would attract. Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui also ordered the ban of Facebook in case the website management does not conform to Pakistani laws. In March…
Pakistan should urgently repeal its Blasphemy laws to ensure that its minorities, Christians and Hindus, do not face targeting from fundamentalists among the majority community in the country, a member of the European Parliament has urged in an article in EP Today. Marijana Petir, EP member, wrote in the European Parliament journal that Pakistan today…
