LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A court in Pakistan this month granted bail to a Christian falsely charged with blasphemy, but he and his family have separated and gone into hiding amid threats to their lives, sources said. Haroon Shahzad, 45, was released from Sargodha District Jail on Nov. 15, said his attorney, Aneeqa Maria. […]
Blasphemy Charge Devastates Christian Family in Pakistan
Bail granted, but father, wife and children apart and in hiding.
November 29, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
Religious Hatred Motivated Murder in Pakistan, Father Says
Gaza conflict said to have heightened killer’s anger.
November 24, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – The father of a 20-year-old Christian who was gunned down in Pakistan this month said the confessed killer was driven by a strong hatred for Christians and Jews. Farhan Ul Qamar was shot to death in his house in Talwandi Inayat Khan village, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot District, Punjab Province, […]
Fire at Worship Building in Pakistan Set by Church Leader
Elder’s arrest shocks Christians.
November 20, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Christians in Lahore, Pakistan were shocked to learn on Saturday (Nov. 18) that a church elder confessed to setting fire to their worship structure after initially blaming it on a Muslim extremist group, sources said. Police arrested church elder and treasurer Zubair Akhtar Khokhar after confronting him with video evidence […]
Christian Shot Dead in Pakistan for Unknown Reasons
Religious minorities again left without answers or justice.
November 19, 2023 By - 1 Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A Muslim gunned down a 20-year-old Christian in Pakistan on Nov. 9, the latest case of a religious minority victimized for unknown reasons with police slow to act, sources said. In Talwandi Inayat Khan village, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot District, Punjab Province, Farhan Ul Qamar was killed in his under-construction […]
Arson Suspected in Church Fire in Pakistan
Threatening letter left at front gate.
November 17, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
(Church elder Zubair Akhtar Khokhar confessed to setting the fire of the Gulberg Presbyterian Church in Lahore after police arrested him following the publication of this story, which follows in its original form. The updated story was published on Nov. 20, 2023)) LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A church building was set on fire in […]
Pastor in Nepal Fears Conviction Sets Ominous Precedent
Supreme Court upholds prison sentence and fine.
November 15, 2023 By - 3 Comments
NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – As he awaits prison after a wrongful conviction for proselytizing, Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya fears his case will set a precedent for authorities in Nepal to incarcerate other Christians, he said. The 35-year-old pastor said he fears police and judiciary will cite his case as an example to send Christians […]
Christian Couple Accused of Blasphemy Win Bail in Pakistan
Police show undue haste in filing case, attorney says.
October 24, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A court in Lahore, Pakistan on Wednesday (Oct. 18) granted bail to a Christian couple arrested last month on blasphemy charges, a rare occurrence in a country where falsely accused suspects spend years in jail awaiting verdicts. Zahid Nazeer, attorney for Shaukat Masih and his wife Kiran Shaukat, said Additional […]
Pastor in Pakistan Admits Wound Was Self-Inflicted, Leader Says
Church leader charged with making false allegations, causing unrest.
October 1, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Police in Pakistan on Friday (Sept. 29) charged a pastor with making false allegations after he admitted that a gunshot wound he had blamed on Islamic extremists was self-inflicted, sources said. The Rev. Eleazar Sidhu, pastor of a Presbyterian church in Kukranwala village in the Khanuwana area of Jaranwala, Faisalabad […]
Baseless Charge in India Leaves Pastor, Family in Ruins
Hindu nationalists weaponize ‘anti-conversion’ law against Christian.
September 21, 2023 By - 1 Comment
NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – Not even a judge’s reprimand of police spared an impoverished pastor in India from being jailed on baseless claims of fraudulent conversion, one of the latest examples of how Hindu extremists misuse “anti-conversion” laws. Pastor Bajarang Rawat, a 47-year-old convert from Hinduism in Mohanlalganj, Lucknow District in Uttar Pradesh state, […]
Christian Couple Jailed, Charged with Blasphemy in Pakistan
Three young children are left without parents.
September 12, 2023 By - 1 Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – The three young children of a Christian couple jailed on baseless charges of desecrating the Koran in Lahore, Pakistan last week have no relatives to care for them and are extremely upset, a rights advocate. Shaukat Masih, 33, and his 28-year-old wife Kiran have been in judicial custody since Saturday […]