Pakistan is home to various radical Islamic terror groups that often change in size, names, and influence, causing concerns. The European Conservative report highlighted the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan due to these radical groups, the prevailing Islamic social order, and a government accused of supporting them. In a disturbing incident on December 7, 2025, two Muslim men abducted a 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan, allegedly as an act of revenge over a previous dispute, according to the report.
The victim’s brother, Sahil George, a 21-year-old member of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Punjab Province, shared that his sister was taken at gunpoint by the perpetrators, Muhammad Bilal Arshad and Muhammad Zohaib, and later raped in a house. The incident is not isolated, with women and girls from religious minority communities in Pakistan facing an increased risk of sexual violence by Muslim men. Turkish journalist Uzay Bulut highlighted the rising trend of abductions, rapes, forced conversions to Islam, and forced marriages with abductors, often resulting in families losing their girls without justice.
Albert Patras, a human rights activist working with female violence survivors in South Punjab, emphasized the heightened vulnerability of minority women in Pakistan to sexual violence and other forms of abuse. Perpetrators of crimes against minority women often escape accountability, he noted, shedding light on the challenges faced by these communities. The EU-Pakistan Joint Commission meeting in Brussels on December 17, 2025, discussed the situation, with plans for the next session in Islamabad in 2026.
The report also mentioned the EU granting Pakistan Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) status in 2014, allowing preferential access to the EU market. Criticizing the EU’s approach towards Pakistan, the report called for immediate action to address the situation, highlighting the risks associated with supporting a regime accused of violating rights and exporting violence. The report urged the EU to consider suspending trade perks to Pakistan to prevent further escalation of threats to its borders.
