A local parish priest describes to AsiaNews what happened in the village of Nanghal Sahdhaan. No one was hurt but harassment had been going on for some days. Police knows who is involved but has not yet made any arrests.
A young shopkeeper in Faisalabad hangs banner expressing best wishes for the birth of Christ, the Christian saviour. Christmas ceremonies go off without a hitch across the country.
The Bishop of Faisalabad, Mgr Joseph Coutts, told AsiaNews that despite discrimination suffered by the Christian community, festivities never fail to re-ignite a spirit of inter-faith coexistence. In Lahore, however, there is a high risk of attacks on churches.
All Pakistan Minorities Alliance chairman speaks out against the situation on International Human Rights Day. He complains about the misuses of national laws and the growing social discrimination as well as the inaction of Christian politicians.
Muhammad Ikram kidnapped the woman who used to clean his house together with her 13-year-old daughter. He tortured them for months in a bid to force them to convert to Islam. They were released thanks to the intervention of the Lahore court and the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance.
Parish priests in every church in the country have placed four candles on the altar, to be lighted one at the time, on each Sunday during Advent. Karachi archdiocese inaugurates Christmas programme for the laity.
The 30-year-old woman, who is mentally disabled, was arrested after person or persons unknown reported her for allegedly desecrating an Islamic image. She is the second person charged with blasphemy to be released in a month.
Despite the lack of evidence a court in Faisalabad condemns two Catholic men for burning some pages of the Qur'an. For their attorney the verdict was influenced by Muslim extremists.
The alliance for religious and social minorities in Pakistan is calling for the withdrawal of the Hasba Bill, a law that harks back to the decrees of the Taleban.
On Universal Children's Day, Pakistani NGOs tell government to do more than ask the population to protect children. More than 10 million children are exploited and live in poverty.
AsiaNews is back in the Punjabi village on the first anniversary of the violent attack against local Christians to listen to victims speak out. Still traumatised, they live in fear. The man accused of blasphemy was eventually cleared but he, too, still has to live in hiding. A year on the police has failed to apprehend the real culprits. Homes and churches destroyed by fire are still waiting to be rebuilt amid government inaction and some Christian leaders' ambiguity.
The Lahore High Court yesterday acquitted Ranjha Masih of all charges after a Faisalabad court condemned him to life imprisonment in 2003. The Christian community fears for his life outside prison as he has already received death threats.
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