Churches across Pakistan have stepped up security in response to the threat of terrorist attacks following the Taliban’s return to power in neighbouring Afghanistan. At a meeting of Catholic and Protestant leaders, senior clergy agreed to tighten surveillance and beef up armed protection, especially at Sunday services. The move comes amid concerns that the Taliban’s […]
Pakistan: “The lives of victims accused of blasphemy are forever threatened and many have been killed.” In 2019 the UN General Assembly proclaimed August 22 as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. According to the report “Religious Freedom in the World” by the international charity Aid […]
ACN provides a vehicle to enable pastoral work in the parish of Saint Peter in Multan Father Javed Khurshid, the parish priest, is still a young priest. Ordained 12 years ago and still serving today in the diocese of Multan located in the southern Punjab region of Pakistan. His parish, Saint Peter’s, lies on the […]
An ACN program providing new hope to young Pakistani women and equipping them to fight for a better future Life for Christians in Pakistan is not easy. As members of a religious minority, they are frequently victims of discrimination and social exclusion. The majority of Christians belong to the poorest classes of society and include […]
A Christian couple in Pakistan on death row for seven years, was acquitted in a landmark judgment, Thursday, June 3. Shagufta Kausar and her husband, Shafqat Masih, from the Punjab town of Gojra, were sentenced to death in 2014 for allegedly sending a local imam blasphemous text messages insulting the Muslim Prophet Mohammad. But in […]
Recently, the homes of 450 Catholic families in Hyderabad and Karachi were destroyed as part of an anti-encroachment drive by the Sindh provincial government—targeting homes considered to be illegal settlements.
A fresh initiative is about to be launched to tackle Pakistan’s growing crisis of Christian and Hindu girls who are being abducted and sexually abused.
Construction of a security wall to protect against terrorist attacks In recent years there have been a succession of terrorist attacks on Christian churches in Pakistan. A very real danger of further attacks looms. As a result, it is imperative that Christians strengthen the security measures around their churches and parish centres. In fact, these […]
Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Catholic girl from Karachi, Pakistan, was abducted on October 13, forced to abandon her faith and marry her 44-year-old Muslim abductor, Ali Azhar, who also resides in Karachi. Last Saturday, October 24, a large group of Christians and civil society activists, led by two members of parliament, gathered in front of […]
The case of a Catholic girl from Madina Town, near Faisalabad has taken an unexpected turn after the defendant failed to appear in court. The 14-year-old Pakistani girl and her family continue her struggle to be free of the man who raped—and blackmailed her into marriage and religious conversion. A Rawalpindi court requested new evidence […]
