(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 […]
Arson Suspected in Church Fire in Pakistan
Threatening letter left at front gate.
November 17, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
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 […]
Pastor Shot after Receiving Islamist Threats in Pakistan
Assailants ordered him to recite Islamic profession of faith.
September 4, 2023 By - 1 Comment
Update: Police in Pakistan on Friday (Sept. 29) charged the Rev. Eleazar Sidhu with making false allegations after he admitted that a gunshot wound he had blamed on Islamic extremists was self-inflicted. Full updated story published on Oct. 1. The initial story follows: LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A pastor was shot and wounded by […]
Christians Object to Injustices following Attacks in Pakistan
Police arrest Christians as chief claims ‘foreign conspiracy.’
September 2, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Church and rights leaders in Pakistan are demanding an investigation into anti-Christian rioting in Jaranwala amid illegal arrests of area Christians and a police claim of a “foreign conspiracy” to create religious strife, sources said. Violent Muslim mobs incited by hard-line Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) attacked churches and homes […]
Forced Conversion/Marriage of Minority Girls Targeted in Pakistan
Supreme Court orders government to respond to complaint.
August 31, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday (Aug. 29) ordered the government to respond to a petition to stop courts from allowing forced conversion and marriage of minority girls in verdicts that act as covers for child rape, sources said. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik gave […]
Police in India Press Churches to Provide Information on Activities
Notices have chilling effect on worship gatherings.
August 24, 2023 By - Leave a Comment
HYDERABAD, India, (Morning Star News) – Police in India have issued questionnaires to at least 40 churches in Indore, Madhya Pradesh state seeking information that Christians fear will be used by Hindu extremists to attack them, sources said. The questionnaires are intrusive and discriminatory, as they were sent only to Christians, church leaders said. “We […]