LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Despite fierce opposition from Islamist groups in Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari on late Thursday night (May 29) signed into law a landmark bill to curb child marriage, setting the minimum age for marriage for both genders at 18 years in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). “The Islamabad […]
Bill to Curb Child Marriages Signed into Law in Pakistan
Proponents overcome fierce opposition from Islamists.
Bill Criminalizing Child Marriage in Pakistan Rejected as ‘Un-Islamic’
Council of Islamic Ideology opposes legislation passed by parliament.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Pakistan’s top Islamic body on Tuesday (May 27) rejected a bill that seeks to criminalize child marriages in Islamabad, describing it as “un-Islamic.” The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) also declared a similar bill presented by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government to be in conflict with sharia (Islamic […]
Muslim in Pakistan Gets Custody of Kidnapped Christian Girl
Judge ignores evident coercion behind victim’s statement of conversion.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A judge in Pakistan on May 16 handed custody of a Catholic girl to the Muslim who kidnapped and forcibly married her despite evidence that she was coerced into stating she converted to Islam, her father said. “My daughter Jessica Iqbal couldn’t recite the Kalima [Islamic conversion proclamation] […]
Forcibly Converted/Married Christian Girl Returned to Parents
Kidnapper in Pakistan leaves 15-year-old four months pregnant.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A kidnapped Christian girl in Pakistan reunited with her parents on Wednesday (May 21), five months after a Muslim abducted her, forcibly converted/married her and got her pregnant due to repeated sexual assault, her lawyer said. Attorney Hanif Hameed said the 15-year-old girl was abducted from her aunt’s […]
Bill to Curb Child Marriages Passes Parliament in Pakistan
Opposition terms it ‘un-Islamic.’
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Pakistan’s parliament on Monday (May 19) passed a significant bill aiming to curb, discourage and eventually eradicate child marriages in the federal capital by raising the legal age of marriage for both boys and girls to 18 years. Sharmila Faruqui of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) introduced the […]
Muslims Torture Christian to Death in Pakistan, Brother Says
Accused former police officer arrested.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Muslims in Pakistan, including a former police officer, on Monday (May 12) tortured a Christian laborer to death over a theft accusation, the victim’s brother said. Riyasat Masih of Mohalla Jamalpur in Jamkay Cheema village, Sialkot District, Punjab Province, said that his brother Kashif Masih, a 35-year-old Catholic, […]
Christian Father in Pakistan Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges
Case ‘frivolous and fabricated,’ attorney says.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A judge in Pakistan on Saturday (May 10) acquitted a Christian of blasphemy and terrorism charges, noting that prosecutors had “miserably failed” to establish the case against him, his attorney said. Chand Shamaun, father of two minor children, was arrested on June 23, 2024 and charged with insulting […]
Record Number of Blasphemy Cases Recorded in Pakistan
Rights watchdog cites widespread abuse of notorious law.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A rights watchdog chronicled a record 344 new blasphemy cases in Pakistan in 2024, highlighting increased abuse of the country’s condemned blasphemy laws. Of the 344 new blasphemy cases, 70 percent of the accused were Muslims, 6 percent were Christians, 9 percent Hindus and 14 percent Ahmadis, according […]
Christian Sentenced to Death under Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law
Punishment criticized as excessive.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A Christian accused of writing blasphemous content that sparked violent riots in Jaranwala, Pakistan in August 2023 was sentenced to death along with other harsh penalties on Good Friday (April 18). Pervaiz Masih had been arrested and charged under Pakistan’s widely condemned blasphemy statutes, including 295-A against inciting […]
Arson Attempt on Church Building in Pakistan Thwarted
Police fraudulently portray attack as robbery, pastor says.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Two unidentified men attempted to set fire to a church building in Pakistan on Saturday night (April 5), but timely intervention by the pastor thwarted the attack, sources said. Pastor Tanveer Boota of the Bethaniya Pentecostal Church in Gulshan Basti, in the Musharraf Colony area of Phoolnagar, Kasur […]