A Catholic Church human rights body in Pakistan said religious minorities continued to face violence, discrimination, and persecution in 2025, with Christians targeted by blasphemy accusations and minority women and girls exposed to abduction, forced conversion, and forced marriage.
The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a body of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, documented the cases in its Human Rights Monitor 2026, which reviewed incidents involving religious minorities during 2025.
The commission said minorities “continued to endure violence, discrimination, and persecution,” while faith-based discrimination, forced conversions and forced marriages of minor girls remained among the most serious concerns.
NCJP recorded eight Christians accused of blasphemy during the year. Its data also listed two Christians who obtained bail and eight others who were acquitted of blasphemy charges.
The commission called for the repeal or substantial amendment of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to prevent abuse. It also urged the government to compensate victims for economic, social and psychological losses and commission a comprehensive study on the effects of the laws.
The report cited the case of Anwar Kenneth, a 72-year-old Christian who was acquitted by Pakistan’s Supreme Court in June 2025 after spending 23 years on death row on blasphemy charges.
Christian nurses Mariam Lal and Newosh Arooj were also acquitted in November after a court found that the complainant had failed to substantiate the allegations and that the evidence did not meet the required burden of proof.
The monitor also documented deadly violence against Christians.
Kashif Masih, a Christian laborer from Sialkot, was tortured to death in May after being accused of stealing a mobile phone, according to the report. Police initially did not register the incident as murder but opened a case and arrested the main accused following protests by the Christian community.
In September, Afzal Masih was shot dead while traveling with Christian pilgrims to the Mariamabad shrine. The report said Masih confronted men who had allegedly harassed female passengers before he was later attacked and shot.
The report documented 35 incidents involving minority women, girls and families. Its summary listed 48 Hindus and six Christians affected, while noting that one case involving 20 families did not specify the exact number of individuals.
Among the cases was that of 15-year-old Hindu girl Premi Bheel, who was reportedly abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man in December. The report said local police refused to register a complaint.
NCJP called on the government to provide legal protection and remedies against forced conversions and urged broader measures to address discrimination against religious minorities.
The monitor also pointed to continuing difficulties in securing accountability for attacks on Christian communities.
Two years after the August 2023 violence in Jaranwala, in which more than 25 church buildings and 85 Christian homes were damaged, none of the perpetrators had been convicted, according to the report. The Lahore High Court later rejected petitions seeking a judicial investigation, saying it lacked jurisdiction to order the formation of a judicial commission.
Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, NCJP chairperson, said Pakistan was “richly blessed with diverse cultures and a deep religious heritage” but faced what he described as a contradiction in the treatment of religious minorities.
He said state officials, politicians and Muslim religious leaders repeatedly describe Pakistan as “a country of Muslims, for Muslims,” which he said renders the remaining 3% of the population “invisible.”
“This is not merely a rhetorical failure. It is a deliberate denial of Pakistan’s multi-religious reality, and the nation has paid an enormous price for it,” Shukardin wrote.
The report also recorded measures aimed at addressing discrimination.
In December, the Islamabad High Court banned employers from using the phrase “Christians only” in advertisements for sanitation jobs and called for safety protections for sewage workers, most of whom are Christian. The court ordered the phrase replaced with “civilian” in future job postings and directed authorities to provide workers with protective equipment and other safeguards.
The monitor also noted the passage of the National Commission for Minorities Rights Act 2025, signed by President Asif Ali Zardari on Dec. 17, which established a statutory body to monitor constitutional guarantees for religious minorities. The report described the law as “a commendable step forward” for minority rights.
NCJP said changes in laws and public policies remained necessary to protect the civil, political, social and economic rights of minority citizens. It called for constitutional measures against religious discrimination, protection of places of worship and minority property, and the repeal of legislation it considers discriminatory.
