New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) Pakistan is among the countries included in the ‘Board of Peace’, reportedly formed by US President Donald Trump to explore lasting peace solutions in the Gaza Strip. However, the country’s own record of religious persecution and alleged ‘nurturing’ of terror on its soil has raised concerns about its ability to play peacemaker in a region marred by intense hostilities over the past two years.A report by the Gatestone Institute has highlighted a series of incidents …
Latest Christians News & Updates
Islamabad, March 21 (IANS) Pakistan’s non-Sunni Muslim communities — including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Ahmadis — have been subjected to discrimination for decades, often treated as second-class citizens through various subtle and overt ways. Their concentration in sanitation work and limited representation in other professions is not coincidental but stems from entrenched social hierarchies reinforced by Pakistani government actions, a report mentioned.By normalising the link between …
Islamabad, March 19 (IANS) A Christian man in Pakistan, accused under controversial blasphemy laws of the country, is awaiting a possible death sentence. The case has gained attention as it involves the so-called “blasphemy business group”, an organised network accused of making false blasphemy accusations to trap people for blackmail and extortion, a report has stated. The court has completed hearings related to false blasphemy charges against Christian man Ishtiaq Saleem while proceedings cont…
New Delhi: Freedom of religion and belief is among the most fundamental of human rights. It safeguards human dignity, allowing individuals to practice their faith without fear and enabling diverse communities to coexist peacefully. Nowhere is this principle more significant — and more contested — than in South Asia, a region that is home to some of the world’s oldest religions and an extraordinary mosaic of beliefs including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism. While most …
Geneva, March 12 (IANS) A photo exhibition hosted by an international human rights organisation on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Switzerland’s Geneva has highlighted the growing systemic discrimination and repression being faced by religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan. In the exhibition, Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) presented visual documentation and reports showcasing alleged human rights violations impacting minorities in Pakis…
Islamabad, March 7 (IANS) A Christian minority worker in Pakistan’s Punjab province was allegedly tortured to death by his Muslim employers, who then staged the murder to look like suicide by hanging, a report highlighted on Saturday citing allegations made by the victim’s younger brother. According to Dilshad Masih, the 21-year-old deceased, Marcus Masih, had worked for five years at a cattle farm run by Muhammad Mohsin Kharal and Muhammad Basharat Kharal in Sargodha district of Punjab.Dils…
Thiruvananthapuram, March 4 (IANS) Amid rising tensions between Iran and Gulf nations, Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday accused the ruling Left and the Opposition Congress of ignoring the concerns of Malayali expatriates in GCC countries for the sake of what he described as “appeasement politics”.Chandrasekhar said Iran’s attacks on Gulf nations have direct implications for lakhs of families in Kerala, given the state’s deep economic and social links with the region.“Ig…
Male, March 3 (IANS) China’s treatment of religious and spiritual communities has once again come under scrutiny in the US Congress following remarks by a former senior American official who condemned the Chinese Communist Party’s policies as a “war on belief systems”, a report said on Tuesday.Addressing US lawmakers recently, Sam Brownback, former US Ambassador‑at‑Large for International Religious Freedom, accused the Chinese Communist Party of waging a worldwide persecution campaig…
Islamabad, Feb 26 (IANS) A leading minority rights group in Pakistan on Thursday expressed grave concern over growing misuse of the country’s blasphemy laws, saying they are increasingly exploited as “tools of fear, control, and profit”. Citing human rights groups, which describe the law as a growing “blasphemy business,” the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) stated that “fabricated screenshots, doctored images, fake social media accounts, and false witness statements” are used to tr…
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…