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Violence and persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-28 13:05 UTC → 2026-10-17 22:14 UTC · added removed

Reports indicate increasing violence and legal challenges facing the Christian and Hindu minorities in Pakistan. Initial reports highlighted targeted physical and sexual abuse in Sheikhupura and Lahore, where victims alleged they were threatened to renounce their faith. Subsequent reports noted a controversial court ruling in Faisalabad where a judge granted custody of 13-year-old Amber Nadeem to a man accused of abduction and forced conversion. Recent documentation presented to the European Parliament via the ‘Stolen Girls’ report by organizations including ‘Voice for Justice’ and ‘Jubilee Campaign’ has detailed a systematic pattern of abuse. Between 2019 and 2025, the report verified 210 cases of abduction, forced religious conversion, child marriage, and sexual violence against Christian and Hindu minority girls, noting that over 83 percent of victims were minors with an average age of 12.8 years. The report highlights Newer incidents underscore these patterns. In Sheikhupura, a significant age gap between victims 14-year-old Christian boy was allegedly lured by a job offer, confined, and perpetrators, who averaged 35.8 years old. sexually abused; his family reports facing threats to withdraw their complaint. In Sindh, tensions have escalated following the reported kidnapping and forced conversion of two Hindu sisters, aged 13 Lahore, a technician named Washaal Masih alleged he was abducted and 14, from the Katchi Kolhi community in Tando Allahyar. During court proceedings, the minors reportedly pleaded, “We want to go home,” but were moved to threatened with a safe house rather than being returned firearm to their parents. Shiva Kachhi, president of the Minority Rights Organization in Pakistan, noted that the girls' statements were not heard. Data indicates a rise in such incidents, renounce Christianity. International scrutiny continues, with 421 reported cases of kidnapping and forced conversion between 2021 and 2024, including 282 Hindu girls. At a United Nations Human Rights Council side event, conference in Geneva addressing the crisis of forced conversions and child marriage involving minority girls was further scrutinized. Naveed Walter, President marriage. The event highlighted the case of Human Rights Focus Pakistan, cited UNICEF data stating 90 million women and children Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Christian girl abducted in Pakistan have been affected July 2025. Despite family intervention, a Lahore court awarded custody to her captor after accepting falsified documents claiming she was 18, a decision upheld by child rights violations. the Federal Constitutional Court in March 2026.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-17 22:14 UTC Violence and persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan
  2. 2026-09-28 13:05 UTC Violence and persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan
  3. 2026-09-20 05:39 UTC Violence and persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan
  4. 2026-09-19 10:45 UTC Violence and persecution of Christians in Pakistan
  5. 2026-09-06 05:34 UTC Violence and persecution of Christians in Pakistan
  6. 2026-09-05 12:17 UTC Violence and persecution of Christians in Pakistan
  7. 2026-09-01 01:56 UTC Violence and persecution of Christians in Pakistan

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