After Jaranwala, violence against Christians in Pakistan continues unabated. The “Persecution Watch” report published by the NGO Dignity First lists the cases of 140 families affected in the first half of 2024. The attacks are not only physical, but also economic, while convictions and arrests for alleged blasphemy continue.
Lahore () – Dignity First, a human rights organisation, is urging the federal and provincial governments to ensure the protection of Christians in Pakistan. Following last August’s violence against the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab, the country has witnessed a new wave of violence and hatred against Christians in the first half of 2024. Dignity First has published the report “Persecution Watch”, based on an investigation into the persecution of Christians in the first six months of this year, which highlights violent attacks, incidents of discrimination, murders, torture, kidnappings, sexual violence, land appropriation, evictions, forced conversions on the grounds of faith and accusations of blasphemy against Christians.
In a statement to the press, Yousaf Benjamin, Executive Director of Dignity First, said that the actions advanced in the last six months (from January to June 2024) are alarming and that therefore, the authorities must take immediate practical steps to ensure the protection and religious freedom of minority groups. Benjamin revealed that there have been more than 70 violent attacks in six months, affecting more than 140 Christian families on the basis of their religious identity. There have been five violent attacks in Punjab province alone. Of these five attacks, three were directed against Christian families and two against churches.
The report also notes that 8 Christian sanitation workers faced discrimination at the workplace and lost their lives due to lack of safety equipment – 5 in Punjab and 3 in Sindh. A Christian couple doing cleaning work was injured when a car hit them while cleaning a road in Lahore. Then, in Faisalabad and Sheikhupura, employees of sanitation departments were denied 3 months’ pay. A discriminatory job advertisement was published in newspapers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stating that “only Christians” could apply for cleaning jobs. In another incident, a Christian student had to leave a private university because he was mistreated and discriminated against for his religious identity in Lahore. Of the 15 men killed for their Christian faith, 13 were from Punjab and two from Quetta (Balochistan). Five of the deceased were under 25 years of age. In addition, 12 were tortured in 6 districts of Punjab, 6 of them men and 6 women.
Three of the four cases of land grabbing and evictions were reported in Punjab and one in Sindh. These incidents resulted in the victimisation of over 70 Christian families. Of these four, two were against Christian families and in two other cases Church properties were targeted. According to the report, seven people were abducted, including five girls, a pastor and a four-year-old boy. Three girls and one minor were sexually abused in Punjab and one girl in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Two out of three girls who were sexually abused were also found to be mentally challenged. According to data collected by Dignity First, 8 Christian girls aged between 11 and 16 were forcibly converted after being abducted and sexually abused. Of these 8 victims, 7 were from Punjab and one from Sindh. A 13-year-old Christian boy was forced to ingest a toxic substance after refusing to embrace Islam in Lahore.
Six Christians were arrested for alleged blasphemy, including two women in Punjab. One of the women was reportedly mentally unstable, while a Christian died after being tortured by an angry mob. Persecution Watch, DIGNITY First’s bi-annual fact-based report, calls on authorities to immediately crack down on marginalized sections, root out extremism, promote religious tolerance, and take immediate practical steps to ensure religious freedom and security.
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