Islamabad, May 5 (IANS) Even though the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently urged the US government to redesignate Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), the persecution of Christians continues to rise in Pakistan, demonstrating the urgent need for an international response, a report has highlighted. Extremist groups in Pakistan have been attacking not only places of worship but entire communities, Mission Network News stated.”They [extremists] will att…
Latest Blasphemy laws News & Updates
Colombo, April 23 (IANS) The Christian community in Pakistan continues to face severe discrimination, untouchability and oppression due to persistent misuse of blasphemy laws, societal intolerance and recurrent mob violence while state response has been inadequate, with little accountability for perpetrators, a report has stated. As minorities, Christians face many challenges in Pakistan, from experiencing discrimination every day to the threat of deadly violence. On April 11, a 25-year-old Chri…
Islamabad, April 19 (IANS) Pakistan announced the International Gandhara Conference on Buddhist Heritage from March 27-31, inviting delegations from Buddhist‑majority countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Japan. However, the event aimed to revive tourism by attracting Buddhist pilgrims, secure development grants for heritage preservation and showcase Pakistan as protector of Buddhist heritage was cancelled due to underwhelming international response and credibility issues faced by Pa…
Brussels, April 4 (IANS) Pakistan has repeatedly failed to demonstrate sustained, structural improvement in the core human rights situation, a key condition under the European Union’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) framework, despite more than a decade of preferential access, a report said on Saturday. According to the ‘European Times’ report, given the current trajectory, evidence suggests a strong case for suspending Pakistan’s GSP+ status until it meets the obligations in a…
Islamabad, March 30 (IANS) The recent statements in Pakistan by figures linked to terrorist networks reveal a troubling pattern of leveraging symbolic and emotionally charged occasions to strengthen narratives of conflict, identity, and cross-border mobilisation, a report highlighted on Monday.Writing for ‘Pressenza – International Press Agency’, Dimitra Staikou, a Greek journalist and writer, stated that this dynamic came into sharp focus on March 22, when rhetoric started circulating on the …
Islamabad, March 27 (IANS) A leading minority rights group on Friday alleged that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are being exploited as a tool of systematic coercion, enabling organised religious groups and their allies to intimidate judges, prosecutors, police, and politicians, effectively holding the country’s justice system and broader state machinery hostage. According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), this “blasphemy complex” relies on fear of mob violence, targeted killings, and…
Washington, March 8 (IANS) The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged the US government to redesignate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In its 2026 Annual Report, the US federal watchdog recommended that the US government lift the existing waiver that exists for Pakistan, or not issue a waiver, releasing the administration from taking otherwise legislatively mandated action as…
Islamabad, Feb 25 (IANS) A growing number of people are being accused of blasphemy for digital crimes in Pakistan, with human rights group terming it as “blasphemy business” in which fabricated evidence, digitally doctored screenshots or false witness statements are used for filing police complaints. A recent report has highlighted that, In December 2025, the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench acquitted six people who had been sentenced to either life imprisonment or death in a digital blasphe…
Islamabad, Feb 18 (IANS) A Pakistan court has rejected bail for a blind Christian man charged with blasphemy, despite apparent discrepancies in the police report and prosecution testimonies, local media reported, quoting his lawyer. The case adds to ongoing concerns over the misuse of blasphemy laws against religious minorities in the country.Muhammad Jawad Zafar of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on February 4 dismissed the bail petition of 49-year-old Nadeem Masih, who has been in custody since Au…
Islamabad, Feb 11 (IANS) The sentencing of human rights attorney couple Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in Pakistan has sparked condemnation from the United Nations, international legal bodies, and the country’s rights groups, according to a report. “The critics warn that the case represents a dangerous escalation in the suppression of dissent and legal advocacy in Pakistan. The couple were sentenced in January 2026 by a sessions court in Islamabad under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic C…