Pakistan

Residents of the H-9 Rimsha Colony slum are protesting an order to vacate their homes and shops within two days. The community includes families who fled Mehrabadi in 2012 with the government's consent following the case of Rimsha Masih, a teenager wrongly accused of blasphemy and now living in exile in Canada. The eviction violates the 2001 National Housing Policy and a 2015 Supreme Court order.

The unusual ‘exchange’ between the prelates of the two episcopal sees is linked to certain accusations (which proved unfounded) that in the summer of 2024 led to the appointment of an apostolic administrator in the Archdiocese of Punjab. The faithful hope that this decision will help to revive the life of the local Church, encouraging everyone to participate.

21-year-old Marcus Masih died on 4 March at the farm where he worked. The owners spoke of ‘suicide’, but there are clear signs of violence on the body. The community takes to the streets and demands justice, but the police report them for obstructing traffic. The family is under pressure to avoid trial and prison for the suspects.

A group of well-known Pakistani women's rights activists were stopped by police, who did not exempt the march from the ban on gatherings imposed because of the war. Meanwhile, the NGO Minority Concern recalls the tragedy of double discrimination against girls from minority groups, who are victims of forced conversions, abductions and lack of access to education and work.

The military escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan comes as the International Monetary Fund is considering the third review of its aid programme to Islamabad. The closure of border crossings, rising inflation and the energy crisis exacerbated by the war in the Middle East risk undermining an already fragile economic recovery.

Pakistani rockets continue to strike Taliban political and military targets in Afghanistan, with the UN reporting at least 66,000 people displaced and dozens of civilians killed. Pakistan also faces anger from its own Shia community following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli attacks against Iran.

Renewed fighting between Pakistan and the Taliban is further exacerbating the precarious situation of families registered as refugees by the UNHCR but without a clear pathway to permanent resettlement. Often living incognito for security reasons, they fear repatriation to Afghanistan, under a government that persecutes them. One woman pleads: "I want my children to be able to grow up without fear.”

In Karachi, several people die in an attempted assault on the US consulate. Tensions were high across Pakistan, home to the world’s second-largest Shia community, with the authorities imposing a ban on public demonstrations. Protests also erupted in India, from Lucknow to Kashmir, as well as in the Karnataka city where Iran's late supreme leader opened a hospital in 1986.

On 2 March 2011, the then Minister for Minority Affairs, a Christian, was killed in Islamabad. His life was shattered for his stance on the rights of marginalised groups and his opposition to the blasphemy laws. Despite death threats, he refused to leave the country; his legacy lives on in those who still fight against persistent discrimination.

There have already been several victims among the many expatriate communities. The first death in the Jewish state from an Iranian missile was that of a Filipino caregiver. The conflict has also spread to the seas, with a seafarer killed on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman. A Pakistani, a Nepalese and a Bangladeshi citizen are the three people killed in the United Arab Emirates.

The Afghan response to Pakistan’s bombings has escalated the never-ending conflict. Pakistan promises "decisive" action against the bases of "anti-Pakistan terrorists" in Afghanistan. Caught between the two, China calls for moderation. Meanwhile, 21 million Afghans already living in poverty risk paying the price of this never-ending conflict.

An NGO denounced the false accusation against Sarwar Masih, meant to illegally seize his property, which his family has occupied for over 70 years. Islamic banners have been displayed to prevent any reconciliation. For Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan, this “reflects a disturbing pattern”. Impartial investigation and reforms against the abuse of blasphemy laws are called for.