Islamabad, June 19 (IANS) The killing of an elderly Sikh couple inside a gurdwara in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has sparked fears among religious minorities, who have said they have long been targeted by radical Islamist groups, a report has detailed. On June 17, Jagannath Wanti (72) and his wife, Asa Wanti (69) were inside a gurdwara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan when unidentified assailants on a motorcycle opened fire and fled, police said.Sahib Singh, a Sikh elder from Peshawar said, “The…
Latest Christians News & Updates
Washington, June 5 (IANS) The European Union (EU) has faced growing criticism for allegedly enabling Pakistan’s severe abuses of human rights standards since at least 2014, with observers repeatedly warning of the consequences and calling for significant change. Brussels-based organisation ‘Human Rights Without Frontiers’ (HRWF), for example, described the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP-plus) status granted to Pakistan as “the bad deal between the EU and Pakistan”, adding that “The …
Islamabad, May 31 (IANS) A genocide watchdog has issued an alert for genocide monitoring in Pakistan amid the growing rate of human rights violations, a report said.The organisation Genocide Watch called for genocide monitoring in Pakistan in a report it issued earlier this month, which said that Pakistan is now at stage 3 of genocide (discrimination).”Because discrimination against women and minorities is deeply embedded in society, and violence against them is both widespread and tolerated, Ge…
Dhaka, May 31 (IANS) Christians in Bangladesh have been facing sectarian attacks, especially in regions where Jamaat-e-Islami has strong support. Open Doors UK and Ireland, which supports persecuted Christians, has reported that violence against minorities in Bangladesh which had already increased, has intensified following the election, a report said. In February, Bangladesh held its first elections after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had a zero-tolerance approach to Is…
New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) Pakistan has been projecting itself as a strong player on the international front. However, in reality, it is desperately attempting an image makeover not just at home, but on the international level as well.The problems in Pakistan are grave, human rights issues remain a major concern, and the world has been flagging it repeatedly.Islamabad has been talking to lobbyists across the world to hobnob with influential players in a bid to project a positive image.While the Pa…
New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Secretary Alka Upadhyaya on Friday released a study on “Contribution of Jain Community in the Field of Education.” Upadhyaya said that the study reflects NCM’s continued efforts towards inclusive development and informed policymaking.She said the Commission is committed to research-driven policy inputs and evidence-based initiatives for the welfare and empowerment of minority communities.The study was undertaken by the Socio…
Islamabad, May 25 (IANS) Minority rights organisations have requested Pakistan’s federal government to introduce constitutional reforms with a goal to strengthen protection for religious minorities, women and children as part of the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment Bill, a report has stated. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, leaders of the Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP) and allied groups presented a reform package that calls for introducing changes to constitutional provision…
Islamabad, May 24 (IANS) A church leader has accused Pakistani police of not following the Supreme Court’s order to arrest all suspects involved in the attacks that took place on multiple churches and Christian homes in Jaranwala area of Pakistan’s Punjab province in 2023, a report has stated. The Rev. Khalid Mukhtar, whose parish house was among the properties destroyed in the violence, said authorities made little progress despite the Supreme Court’s orders on March 31, where it directed polic…
Islamabad, May 14 (IANS) Roughly 1,000 girls, many of whom are Christians, are kidnapped from their homes every year in Pakistan. These girls are found months later, after they have been forced to convert to Islam and marry older Muslim men, a report has stated. When a girl’s parents approach the court, they are often not able to provide a birth certificate to prove that she is underage, resulting in judges often giving the custody of the girl to man and not offering the parents any chance to me…
Islamabad, May 14 (IANS) A minority rights advocacy group has associated the recent deaths of sanitation workers in Pakistan to what it terms as “systemic discrimination” against Christians, who are involved in sewer cleaning jobs, a report has stated. In a statement, Minority Concern said Christian sanitation workers in Pakistan have been facing unsafe working conditions, inadequate protective equipment and limited employment opportunities beyond sanitation work due to deep-rooted discriminatio…