Shafique Khokhar

While the country is in an uproar over the former prime minister’s legal problems, another girl is kidnapped from her home in Faisalabad and raped for seven days by men known in the community. Local Muslim notables are pressing for the family to drop their complaint. For NGO Voice Pakistan, “The protection of underage Christian girls has become the main problem of religious minorities.”

Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf set fire to several army properties. The military has been deployed in two provinces. At least a thousand people have been arrested. Several observers warn that the crackdown could make things worse amid widespread economic and political instability.

Mussarat Bibi, 46, a school employee, was accused of intentionally burning pages of the Qurʾān, despite being illiterate. A Muslim gardener was also accused in connection with the case. Last week, a Muslim religious leader was lynched by a mob. For human rights activists, all these cases show how the law is being abused.

Twenty-five years after his death, the memory of the bishop of Faisalabad who made an extreme gesture in protest against the violence linked to the controversial law. For many still today he is a martyr of the faith. Since 1987 more than two thousand people have been falsely accused, at least 88 extrajudicial murders. Among the proposals is a commission on the Gojra massacres in 2009.

According to human rights defenders, the victim was murdered out of revenge. In late March, Basharat Masih succeeded in bringing his 12-year-old Hoorab home, three months after she was kidnapped by two Muslims who forcibly converted her to Islam.

A mob of about 40 people attacked a church during Sunday service, scaring the worshippers present. Less than an hour earlier, three young men had harassed and beaten the children of the local pastor. “We will not stop our prayer meetings,” said a Church spokesman.

The initiative was launched by Holy Rosary Parish in Warispura. About 3,000 people participated. Bishop Msgr. Inderias Rehmat: "When we devote time to it, sacred scripture blesses us in different ways."

Data collection will continue until next Monday after questions are raised about omissions and shortcomings. Some groups fear that the census result will not faithfully reflect the country’s demography, like in 2017.

Iftar, the Muslims fast-breaking meal, becomes an occasion for an interfaith meeting during which Bishop Rehmat read a passage from the Gospel of Matthew on the meaning of penitential acts. “Let us not forget the poor” at Easter and Eid, he said.

Shagufta Kiran, a Christian woman and mother of four, was the victim of false accusations for some comments posted on a social network chat. The judge refused her request for release on bail. Voice for Justice: 'Cases on the rise, courts are succumbing to extremist threats'.

Kidnapped by a Muslim trader, after three months she was tracked down by the judiciary and sent back to her family. Satisfaction of human rights activists for this solved case. But the problem is widespread: the need for a law against this type of forced conversion has been reiterated.

These workers were sent home in November without any notice. Trade unionist Imran Bhatti: 'We will continue our protests, the government is solely responsible for any misfortune to these poor families'