LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A mentally ill Christian jailed since March 2019 on a charge of blasphemy, punishable by death, has been granted bail, sources said. Stephen Masih was arrested on March 11, 2019 after a Muslim mob burst into his home in Imranpura Bedian village, Sialkot District, beat him and other family members […]
Christian in Pakistan Jailed since March 2019 Granted Bail
Mentally ill Stephen Masih falsely accused of blasphemy, sources say.
June 8, 2022 By -
Christian Girl in Pakistan Testifies of Kidnapping, Rape
Police initially slow to investigate Muslim who ‘married’ her, sources say.
June 7, 2022 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A 15-year-old Christian girl told a court in Pakistan on Monday (June 6) that she was kidnapped and raped by the Muslim accused of abducting her and forcibly converting and marrying her. While most girls facing captors’ threats to harm them or their families are pressured into making false statements […]
Muslim Forcibly Marries, Converts Christian Girl, Family Says
Neighbor kidnapped 15-year-old, relatives say.
May 27, 2022 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A Muslim in Faisalabad, Pakistan who abducted a 15-year-old Roman Catholic girl has forced her to marry him and convert to Islam, but police refuse to help the family, sources said. Nadeem Masih, a sanitation worker at a textile factory, told Morning Star News that his daughter, Saba Masih, was abducted on […]
Christian in Pakistan Arrested, Tortured on Blasphemy Charges
False accusation threatens 54-year-old father’s job, retirement fund.
March 21, 2022 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Authorities in Pakistan beat and arrested a Christian on Tuesday (March 16) for allegedly making blasphemous comments on social media and later tortured him into confessing guilt, sources said. Cybercrime officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Circle raided the Lahore home of Fansan Shahid, 54, shortly after midnight […]
Lay Pastor Slain, Priest Wounded in Northwestern Pakistan
Unknown gunmen attack them on street in Peshawar.
January 31, 2022 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A Church of Pakistan lay pastor was gunned down and a priest wounded by unknown assailants as the leaders drove home from a worship service on Sunday (Jan. 30) in the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar, sources said. Church of Pakistan Bishop of Peshawar Humphrey Peters said that William Siraj, […]
Another Christian Girl Allegedly Forced to Convert/Marry
Family of 14-year-old says Muslim neighbor kidnapped her.
January 14, 2022 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – The abduction and forced conversion of Christian girls in Pakistan continued with impunity as another minor was separated from her parents the first week of the year, sources said. Mahnoor Ashraf, a 14-year-old Pentecostal Christian, went missing shortly after leaving her home in Lahore’s Cantonment area for a nearby shop […]
Christian’s Prison Term Changed to Death Sentence in Pakistan
Separately, historic bail granted to blasphemy suspect.
January 10, 2022 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A judge changed a Christian’s life prison term under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws into the death sentence last week, while the Pakistan Supreme Court granted historic bail to another Christian held on similar charges, sources said. Zafar Bhatti, 56, who has languished in jail since 2012 after being accused of sending […]
Christian Parents in Pakistan Regain Custody of Minor Daughter
Allegedly kidnapped, forcibly married/converted girl opts for home.
December 23, 2021 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A court in Pakistan on Wednesday (Dec. 22) handed custody of a 14-year-old girl back to her Christian parents after she testified that she wished to return to them from a shelter home, sources said. The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued the decision in the case of Arzoo Raja, now […]
Christian Sentenced to Death for ‘Blasphemy’ Acquitted
False charge sent him to prison for nearly 10 years.
November 22, 2021 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A Christian in Pakistan incarcerated for nearly 10 years on a false blasphemy conviction was released from prison on Nov. 13 after a high court acquitted him, but quietly to avoid Islamist outrage, his attorney said. The life prison sentence of Sajjad Masih Gill, 37, had been converted to the […]
Historic Bail for Nurses Charged with Blasphemy, Lawyer Says
Decision cloaked for two months to deter Islamist backlash.
November 19, 2021 By -
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – In an unprecedented court decision in Pakistan kept secret for two months to avoid Islamist backlash, a trial court judge granted bail to two Christian nurses charged with “defiling the Koran,” their attorney said. Usually those charged under Pakistan’s widely condemned blasphemy laws even with little or no evidence languish […]