Yesterday an anti-terrorist court acquitted five Christians of blasphemy charges, while two were jailed for six months under the blasphemy law and anti-terrorist act. The case was registered on August 16 last year against sixteen people for displaying and publishing material which was considered threatening, abusive and insulting. Later blasphemy law section 295-A and antiterrorism…
CLAAS has expressed its grave concerns over the growing misbehaviour towards and shameful treatment of the Pakistani Christian religious leadership. On Sunday 12 June head constable Amir Abdullah hurried into united church in Fazalia colony, Lahore, and slapped the pastor, Riaz Rehmat, and used abusive language against worshippers during the Sunday morning service. The policeman…
The President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain said that extremist elements that target religious minorities in the country will be hooked. He added that religious minorities have faced adversity a number of times, something which had tainted national harmony. He clarified that violence against religious minorities is contrary to Islamic teachings and warned extremists that if…
Armed Islamic extremists opened fire at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dhoopsari, Sandha near Lahore. The assailants took advantage total darkness as a result of a complete power cut in the area and launched the attack at around 4am on June 4. They managed to flee after the incident, leaving local Christians exasperated over this latest assault…
A new blasphemy case has been registered against Usman Liaqat Masih of Nabi Pura, district Sheikhupura, Punjab. Police arrested the father-of-three on May 24 when it was reported that the village was under severe threats from Muslims who were preparing to burn down the Christian houses upon an allegation of blasphemy being made against six to…
An Italian MEP has launched a campaign to highlight the plight of Asia Bibi who is facing the death sentence in Pakistan. Antonio Tajani’s initiative, a European Parliament written declaration, seeks to halt the sentence of the mother-of-five who has been in jail since 2010. His aim is to collect the signatures of more than…
American Senator Marco Rubio has criticised the Pakistan government, saying too much time has passed for the assassin of Shahbaz Bhatti to not have been brought to justice. He blamed the country’s blasphemy laws, highlighting that they encourage extremism and violence to thrive. Rubio said religious minorities in Pakistan are marginalized by the laws, proponents…
The Council of Islamic Ideology has been criticised for releasing a draft of the women’s protection bill in which it allows a husband to “lightly beat” his wife. The body released the draft on May 27 in response to the legislation in Punjab which bestowed greater rights on women and ensured their protection. According to…
A Muslim in Pakistan allegedly set fire to a copy of the Holy Bible, reducing it completely to ashes. On May 24 in Chandiyan Talawan, in District Faisalabad, Punjab, local Christians claimed the man had insulted the word of God, by setting the holy book on fire. Furious local Christians started chanting slogans and demanding…
A Pakistani Christian man has been missing since local Muslims accused him of committing blasphemy. Usman Liaqat, who works at an automobile company, has not been seen since he was accused of making a blasphemous post on Facebook. The incident took place in Khanpur Canal area in Sheikhupura, Punjab. His wife however, claims the father-of-three…
