Islamabad, Feb 22 (IANS) A Pakistani Christian brick kiln worker’s forced conversion into Islam, recorded in the country’s national database has prevented his five children from listing Christianity as their religion on their national identity cards. “Sufyan Masih, employed at a kiln in Kasur district of Punjab Province, said that his father, Sadiq Masih, was coerced into converting to Islam years ago while struggling with a debt owed to a former employer,” a report said on Sunday.According to a…
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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 16 (IANS) A federal court in Pakistan has given custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl, identified as Maria Shahbaz, to a Muslim man who had abducted her, converted her to Islam, and married her, a report has revealed. Judges did not accept the birth certificate presented by the parents of Maria Shahbaz, that proved her age. Safdar Chaudhry, chairperson of rights group Raah-e-Nijaat Ministry, stated that the judges also rejected the earlier judicial findings that the marriage was…
Washington, Feb 6 (IANS) A joint House Foreign Affairs hearing on defending religious freedom delivered a stark warning that authoritarian regimes and extremist violence are accelerating a worldwide crackdown on faith communities, while US policy tools and enforcement mechanisms lag behind the scale of the crisis.At a hearing titled “Defending Religious Freedom Around the World,” Congressman Christopher Smith said religious liberty — often described as “America’s first freedom” — i…
Islamabad, Jan 30 (IANS) The World Watch List 2026 released by global Christian advocacy group Open Doors has highlighted that the Christians in Pakistan — who constitute just 1.8 per cent of the population — continue to face “systemic discrimination, violence, forced conversions, bonded labour, and gender-based persecution”, amid minimal state protection, a report said on Friday. It added that Pakistan remains among the top 10 most dangerous countries for Christians worldwide, securing …
Islamabad, Jan 15 (IANS) Christians in Pakistan continue to face massive challenges – from threat of violence to discrimination – everyday as blasphemy laws in the country are being used to intimidate them and other minorities, a report has stated. A simple accusation can also lead to mob violence against victims and their family and the wider Christian community as the weak government and increasing influence of extreme Islamist groups implies that Christian community have limited protection fr…