Latest Updates
Pakistan’s Children Remain at Risk as 1,914 Abuse Cases Reported in Six Months
Nearly 1,914 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan between January and June 2026, according to Sahil’s latest Six Months Cruel Numbers report. Although the figure is slightly lower than the 1,956 cases recorded during the same period last year, it remains a disturbing measure of the dangers faced by
Christian Community Mourns Shazib Masih’s Killing in Islamabad, Pakistan
Pakistan’s Christian community is mourning the death of Shazib Masih, a young Christian who was reportedly shot and killed by an unidentified assailant in Islamabad. The circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear. Authorities have yet to identify the attacker or determine the motive behind the shooting, raising serious concerns about the
Stolen Girls: The Hidden Machinery of Forced Conversion and Child Marriage in Pakistan
They are called “conversions” in official records. But behind the paperwork, signatures, and stamped certificates are children—girls barely in their teens—whose lives are being quietly erased. A recent report titled Stolen Girls, presented at the European Parliament by the Jubilee Campaign, lays bare a reality that is as disturbing as it
Justice in Question: Minor Returned to Alleged Abductor in Faisalabad Case
Authorities and courts in Faisalabad have sparked widespread outrage after a Sessions Court granted custody of 13-year-old Christian girl Amber Nadeem to the man accused of abducting her. The decision has alarmed human rights defenders and exposed serious weaknesses in Pakistan’s child protection framework and judicial conduct. On 12 June 2026,
Honor Without Justice: The Enduring Tragedy of Honor Killings in Pakistan
The continued use of “honor” as a justification for killing women in Pakistan reflects a disturbing contradiction between law and reality. While legal reforms have attempted to curb such crimes, the persistence of these killings reveals a deeper crisis—one rooted in social norms, power structures, and weak enforcement of justice. According
Pakistan’s Hidden Crisis: Over 3,000 Gender-Based Violence Cases in Just Six Months
Pakistan is not just facing a rise in gender-based violence—it is witnessing a quiet emergency unfolding behind closed doors. In the first six months of 2026 alone, at least 3,172 cases were reported. That number is difficult to absorb, but what it represents is even harder: thousands of individuals harmed, silenced,
Child Protection on Trial: Will Pakistan’s Top Court Legitimize a Child’s Abuse or Restore Maria Shahbaz’s Right to Safety?
Pakistan stands at a moral crossroads as the Federal Constitutional Court prepares to hear the review petition in the case of 13‑year‑old Maria Shahbaz on July 24. At its heart, this is not only a legal battle over custody — it is a test of whether the country’s highest court will
Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws: A System Undermined by Fear, Misuse, and Institutional Failure
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws have become one of the country’s most controversial issues, not only because of their impact on religious minorities but also because of the repeated failure of institutions to prevent their misuse. A law that should operate within the boundaries of justice and fairness has, in many cases, become
Pakistan Cashes In On EU Trade Perks, While Its Religious Minorities Pay the Price
Pakistan is cashing in on the EU’s GSP+ trade concessions while it fails to honour the core human rights and governance obligations that justify those benefits. Atrocities, discrimination and violence continue at home, yet Pakistan still presents itself as a compliant partner on paper. Since 2014, Pakistan has relied on the
Targeted Killings of Christian Minorities in Balochistan Spark Renewed Calls for Protection and Justice
The killings of two young Christian men in Balochistan are not just another tragic headline—they are a stark reminder of how fragile life remains for religious minorities in Pakistan. Ayush Masih, 21, and Domnik Masih, 24, were shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles in Mastung. The attack happened in the Shamsabad
Justice Denied in Flames: Pakistan’s Failure to Protect Its Christian Minorities
Twelve years after one of Pakistan’s most brutal cases of mob violence, justice has not just been delayed—it has collapsed. The Supreme Court’s acquittal of the last three men convicted in the 2014 lynching of the Christian couple, Shahzad Masih and his pregnant wife, Shama Bibi, has reignited grief and raised
From Worship to Ashes: Pattoki Christian Family Loses Home in Alleged Revenge Arson
In Pattoki, Punjab, a Christian family has been reduced to homelessness in a deliberate arson attack that raises urgent questions about justice, protection, and equality in Pakistan. On 5 July 2026, Arshad Masih (34), his wife Kafia Bibi (33), and their two young sons, Haniyal (8) and Abraham (5), were attending
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Special Cases
Invisible Wounds: New Data Reveals the True Scale of Abuse Against Children in Pakistan
A new national factsheet on violence against children (VAC) has sent a chilling reminder of how unsafe childhood remains across Pakistan. Covering the first six months of 2025, the document doesn’t just present numbers — it exposes a system that repeatedly fails to see, protect and deliver justice for its youngest
Tragedy in Daska: TLP, Local Authorities Prevent Ahmadi Woman’s Burial, Exposing Growing Religious Persecution
The tragic story of Qudsia Tabassum, a woman from the Ahmadi community in Daska, Sialkot, who passed away two days ago, is an example of the deepening religious intolerance in Pakistan. Despite being deceased, her body remains in the mortuary, denied burial by the hardline elements of society—specifically, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
A Death Before Dawn: The Unending Horror of ‘Honor’ Killings in Pakistan
In the still darkness of Bhutto Chandio village, the life of a young woman was extinguished under the illusion of honor. It was just after 3:30 a.m. on April 10 when 19-year-old Khalida, known to some as Rubina, was shot dead, declared ‘Kari’ by her own relatives and executed before the
Christian Girl Abducted, Allegedly Forced Into Marriage in Pakistan
In a small village in Punjab’s Faisalabad Division, a father waits in quiet desperation, clinging to hope that feels thinner with each passing day. Afzal Javed Masih, a scrap collector who spends his days in Sialkot to feed his family, never imagined that the fragile security of his home would be
The Forced Islamization of Pakistan’s religious minorities
Sonja Dahlmans Introduction Every year, between approximately 1,000 and 2,000 minor girls from Pakistan’s religious minority communities are abducted, forcibly married (to a Muslim man), and forced to convert to Islam. The OHCHR expressed its concern regarding the vulnerability of minor girls from non-Muslim families in 2024, stating that: “The exposure
Justice Denied in Flames: Pakistan’s Failure to Protect Its Christian Minorities
Twelve years after one of Pakistan’s most brutal cases of mob violence, justice has not just been delayed—it has collapsed. The Supreme Court’s acquittal of the last three men convicted in the 2014 lynching of the Christian couple, Shahzad Masih and his pregnant wife, Shama Bibi, has reignited grief and raised
When the State Decides Your Faith: The Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan
In Pakistan, the situation of the Ahmadiyya community is often described by human rights observers as one of the most restrictive religious frameworks in the modern world. At the centre of it lies something unusual and deeply consequential: laws that not only regulate behaviour, but also decide who is legally recognised
A Life Silenced: The Story of Sumaira and the Dark Shadow of “Honour” in Sindh
Shikarpur woke up to another tragedy on Wednesday — one that tore through the walls of a family home and echoed across a society already burdened by countless similar stories. Fifteen-year-old Sumaira, a girl whose only “sin” was talking to someone on the phone, was shot dead — allegedly by her
Justice for Habroon: A Murder That Shook Pakistan’s Christian Community
Pakistan’s Christian community is once again mourning under the shadow of brutality. Habroon C Qaiser, only 25 years old, was murdered in cold blood in Sialkot — a young man with his whole life ahead of him, cut down before his time. He came from a respected political family, loved deeply