Islamabad, April 6 (IANS) A British parliamentary group has expressed deep concerns over the case of a Christian girl, Maria Shehbaz, who was allegedly kidnapped and forced to marry in Pakistan. The parliamentary group’s statement comes after Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court termed the marriage of Maria Shehbaz lawful. However, the girl’s father has said that she was underage at the time and was forced to convert. For years, girls from Christian and Hindu communities in Pakistan have been…
Latest Religious minorities News & Updates
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 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…
Islamabad, March 24 (IANS) The recent suicide bombing inside a mosque in Pakistan’s Islamabad, which killed at least 31 worshippers and injured over 160 others, was not an aberration but part of a grim continuum for Shia community in the country. The attack on Khadija Tul Kubra mosque in Islamabad signalled not only a local lapse but a systemic failure of deterrence. Shia mosques, processions, buses, hospitals, and shrines have faced attacks in Pakistan for the past 20 years. “From Peshawar and …
Washington, March 21 (IANS) A US resolution seeking to recognise the 1971 Bangladesh genocide highlights the targeted killing of Hindus and calls for action against the Pakistan Army and its allies.Congressman Greg Landsman introduced the measure in the House of Representatives, urging formal US recognition of the atrocities and accountability for the Pakistan Army and Jamaat-e-Islami over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.The resolution condemns the atrocities committed during Oper…
London, March 18 (IANS) Pakistan’s systemic denial of justice for survivors of gender-based violence goes beyond procedural failure, exposing deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes and administrative failures embedded in the country’s governance structures. When victims are ignored, dissuaded, and denied fair hearings, justice becomes an empty promise — one that perpetuates violence and marginalisation, a report has detailed.“Patriarchy in Pakistan is not merely a social attitude but a …
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, March 2 (IANS) A Christian worker was fatally shot in Pakistan’s Punjab province inside a legislator’s room, a leading minority rights group said on Monday. According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), Naveed Masih, a Christian sanitation worker, was found dead on Friday night within the Punjab Assembly premises, igniting “grief, outrage, and an urgent demand for justice”.The rights body said that Naveed was reportedly found fatally shot in a room associated with Member of …
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…
Kathmandu, Jan 24 (IANS) Pakistan’s Sindh province, home to the bulk of the country’s Hindu minority, has faced recurring outbreaks of communal violence sparked by blasphemy accusations. These attacks unfold in a similar pattern, beginning with an allegation, followed by the mobilisation of crowds by religious leaders, communal unrest, and the forced displacements of the affected Hindu community, a report highlighted on Saturday. “The latest killing of a Hindu farmer in Sindh once again expose…