[REVISION HISTORY]

Violence and persecution of Christians in Pakistan

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What changed

2026-09-05 12:17 UTC → 2026-09-06 05:34 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Reports indicate increasing violence and legal challenges facing the Christian minority in Pakistan. Initial reports highlighted targeted physical and sexual abuse in Sheikhupura and Lahore, where victims alleged they were threatened to renounce their faith. In these instances, families and advocacy groups raised concerns regarding police delays in registering official reports. Subsequent reports expanded on these tensions, noting a controversial court ruling in Faisalabad where a judge granted custody of 13-year-old girl Amber Nadeem to a man, Mohsin Liaqat, accused of abduction and forced conversion. While defense documents claimed the girl was 18, her family disputes these records. Additionally, reports of communal violence in Punjab, such as an assault on Christian residents in Chak Lakhia, and allegations of police misconduct involving the death of 18-year-old Daud in Lodhran have intensified calls for justice. Recent developments in the Amber Nadeem case have intensified protests from human rights activists and organizations like ‘Voice of Justice’ and ‘Minorities Alliance Pakistan’. Following a July 25 hearing, a higher court accepted a written statement from Amber claiming her conversion and marriage were voluntary. Consequently, Judge Rana Sohail granted Liaqat bail and allowed Amber to remain with him. Activists have questioned the validity of this statement, alleging that the girl may have been pressured or warned of consequences by defense counsel to retract her claims. Further analysis has highlighted widespread gender- and religion-based persecution of minority women and girls. Documentation presented to the European Parliament via the ‘Stolen Girls’ report cited 210 cases of abduction, forced conversion, child marriage, and sexual violence against Christian and other minority girls between 2019 and 2025, noting victims had an average age of 12.8 years. Advocates suggest that international mechanisms, including targeted sanctions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, as well as the potential suspension of EU trade preferences under the GSP+ framework, could be used to address these systemic abuses.

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