Report reveals at least 70 acts of violence against Pakistani Christians in the first half of 2024

After Jaranwala, the violence against Christians in Pakistan does not cease. The report ‘Persecution Watch’ released by the NGO Dignity First lists the cases of 140 families affected in the first half of 2024. Attacks are not only physical, but also economic, while convictions and arrests for alleged blasphemy continue.

Lahore (AsiaNews) - Dignity First, a human rights organisation, urges the federal and provincial governments to ensure the protection of Christians in Pakistan. After last August's violence against the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab, the country has witnessed a further wave of violence and hatred against Christians in the first half of the year 2024.

Dignity First released the report ‘Persecution Watch’, based on research on the persecution of Christians in the first six months of this year, which highlights violent attacks, incidents of discrimination, killings, torture, abductions, sexual violence, land grabbing, evictions, forced conversions based on 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 past six months (January to June 2024) are alarming and that, therefore, the authorities must take immediate practical measures to ensure protection and religious freedom for 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 the Punjab province alone. Of these 5 attacks, 3 targeted Christian families and another 2 targeted churches.

The report also points out that 8 Christian health workers suffered discrimination in the workplace and lost their lives due to the lack of safety kits, 5 in Punjab and 3 in Sindh. A Christian couple engaged in a cleaning job was injured when a car hit them while they were cleaning a road in Lahore. Then, in Faisalabad and Sheikhupura, employees of sanitation departments were denied 3 months' salaries.

A discriminatory job advertisement was published in the newspapers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stating that ‘only Christians’ can apply for cleaning jobs. In another incident, a Christian student had to leave a private university because he was mistreated and discriminated against because of 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 the age of 25. In addition, 12 were tortured in 6 districts of Punjab, 6 of them men and 6 women.

Three out of 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 property was targeted.

According to the report, seven people were abducted, including five girls, a pastor and a four-year-old boy. Three girls and a minor boy were sexually abused in Punjab and one girl in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was also found that 2 out of 3 sexually abused girls had mental problems.

Data collected by Dignity First reveals that 8 Christian girls between the ages of 11 and 16 were forcibly converted after being abducted and sexually abused. Of these 8 victims, 7 were from Punjab and 1 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. According to reports, one woman was mentally unstable, while one Christian died after being tortured by an angry mob. ‘Persecution Watch’, a biannual fact-based report compiled by DIGNITY First, calls on the authorities to immediately prevent marginalised sections, eliminate extremism, promote religious tolerance and take immediate practical measures to ensure religious freedom and security.