Saba Boota, a courageous 27-year-old Christian woman, stands unwavering in her faith, even after enduring the harsh realities of Pakistan’s blasphemy law. Along with her younger sister, Anita, and three other Christians, Saba has been arrested, yet her spirit remains unshaken. With an unbreakable resolve, she vows to continue preaching the gospel to Muslims despite the mounting threats.
“I am working for the Lord, and I’m prepared to pay the price for this service,” Saba declared. After a court granted bail to her and her four companions, their release on September 5, was a moment of relief but not without the weight of what they had faced.
On the evening of September 4, the Rawalpindi Railways Police arrested Saba, Anita, and their group following complaints from members of the Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), who were outraged by their sharing of Christ’s message at a railway station. “I was preaching to a crowd when TLP members arrived, intimidating us even though I had said nothing against their faith,” Saba said.
Saba, who once belonged to the Roman Catholic Church but later embraced the Pentecostal faith, holds a Master’s in Education yet remains unemployed. But her mission—her calling—has always been clear: to bring Christ’s hope and salvation to those who do not yet know Him. Together with her sister, they formed an evangelistic group, undeterred by the dangers that their work brings in a country where such acts of faith can cost lives.
“In my sermon, I spoke of how religious practices, like fasting and almsgiving, are not the path to salvation,” Saba explained. “I shared that only through Jesus Christ can we find eternal life.” Her message resonated deeply with the crowd, but the moment of connection was abruptly shattered when TLP members mocked the group, their hostility escalating until the police intervened to prevent violence.
Saba’s journey is one of remarkable bravery and unyielding faith. She continues to stand firm in her belief, knowing that the road ahead may be perilous. But for her, this is a price she is willing to pay—for the love of Christ and the hope that one day, her message will reach the hearts of those who need it most.
As they were taken into custody, Saba Boota and her group faced the cold reality of their circumstances. Senior police officers questioned them for over four grueling hours. Despite the tension, Saba recalled that the officers themselves acknowledged that the group had spoken no disrespect towards Islam. Yet, under intense pressure from the powerful Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the police had no choice but to register a blasphemy case against them.
With a heavy heart, Saba shared, “The officers agreed with us that we had said nothing disrespectful to Islam, but they registered a blasphemy case due to the pressure exerted by the TLP.” The charges were staggering—under Section 298 of the blasphemy law, they now faced accusations of deliberately hurting religious sentiments, with the terrifying possibility of up to one year in prison. Additional charges under the Railways Act and the Pakistan Penal Code loomed over them like dark clouds, threatening months behind bars for merely sharing the message of their faith.
Saba’s voice softened as she spoke of the British Christian worker, Jonathan Howard, who had joined their group for the first time on this mission. “This was our first preaching mission with Brother Jonathan,” she said, her respect for his courage evident. The other male members of the group, Adeel and Shamaun, like Saba and her sister, came from humble backgrounds, united by their shared passion for serving Christ. Together, they had hoped to spread the message of love and salvation, only to be met with threats and hostility.
Despite the mounting danger, Saba remained resolute. “The police case and threats by Islamist groups will not stop us from sharing the gospel,” she said with unshakable determination. For her, this mission transcended fear, rooted in the powerful words of Christ found in Matthew 28:19-20. “In these verses, Christ has bestowed upon us the global mission of spreading the gospel,” she said. “It’s a call to action for all believers, and with it, He promises His presence with us as we fulfill this commission.”
Her words were filled with a strength that refused to falter, a faith that no earthly force could shake. Saba, her sister, and their small group of believers knew the risks, yet they pressed forward, undeterred, believing that even in the face of adversity, their message would shine through.
Christian attorney Waheed Javed breathed a sigh of relief as the court granted bail to Saba Boota and her fellow believers, sparing them from immediate imprisonment. The police had sought their physical remand, but in a fortunate turn, the court required surety bonds of 100,000 rupees ($358) each—an amount that weighed heavily on the hearts of these humble believers but was far preferable to the dark alternative they had feared.
Javed knew how fragile their safety truly was. “The police intervened just in time, or the situation could have spiraled out of control,” he said, his voice carrying the gravity of the threat that had loomed over them. “Anything could have happened, especially with the TLP’s history of inciting violence against Christians in the name of blasphemy.”
The TLP, with its infamous record, had made life perilous for anyone daring to express their faith openly, especially Christians. Waheed urged caution, knowing that Saba and her group were now in the crosshairs of not just the TLP, but other extremist groups thirsting for any excuse to persecute believers. The danger was real, and the fear of what could come next lingered like a shadow over their faith.
Javed’s warning was not without precedent. Pakistan’s prisons were already swelling with those accused of blasphemy. In 2023 alone, hundreds had been incarcerated, with 552 people detained in Punjab Province. By June 2024, the numbers remained staggering—350 languishing behind bars, their lives hanging by a thread as blasphemy accusations continued to rise. The Center for Social Justice reported that 103 new cases had surfaced between January and June 2024, a chilling reminder of the fate that so easily could have befallen Saba and her companions.
But despite the looming threat, despite the fear and uncertainty, Saba and her group clung to their faith. They knew the risks, yet they continued, their hearts on a mission greater than their fear. They were walking a perilous path, but they walked it with courage, trusting in the One who had called them to this dangerous yet sacred journey.