by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – Christians and rights advocates in Pakistan have expressed mounting concern over reported deadly attacks, intimidation, abductions of girls and alleged forced conversions involving the nation’s Christian minority, with several incidents emerging across the Muslim-majority country.
Among the latest reported violence, Christian families in the village of Chak Lakhia, near the city of Kamoke in Pakistan’s Punjab province, alleged that a group of about 30 to 35 people entered their homes Saturday and assaulted residents following an earlier dispute.
Christian men were reportedly severely beaten, while women were also allegedly assaulted, leaving several people injured, according to accounts from victims shared with Worthy News. They called for an impartial investigation, legal action against those responsible and protection from further violence.
Christian advocate Sardar Mushtaq Gill told Worthy News that the incident was among several cases raising concerns about the safety of Christians.
CHRISTIAN DEATHS INVESTIGATED
Christian advocates have also demanded an investigation into the August 22 death of an 18-year-old Christian identified as Daud in the city of Kahror Pakka, in Punjab province’s Lodhran District. His father alleged that two police officers assaulted Daud near a canal before he fell into the water. His body was later recovered, Worthy News reported earlier.
Police disputed that account, saying Daud was suspected of drug dealing and jumped into the canal while attempting to evade arrest. Authorities registered a murder case against the two constables following a complaint from Daud’s father.
Daud was buried August 24 in the presence of family members and local Christians. Christian advocates have called for an impartial investigation to establish what happened and whether the officers bear criminal responsibility.
Separately, Christians demonstrated outside the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday following the death of Adnan Masih, a father of four who worked for Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar.
CHRISTIANS DEMAND JUSTICE
Protesters said Masih was struck and killed by a car and demanded the arrest of the person allegedly responsible as well as a transparent investigation.
Among other ongoing serious cases is that of a 13-year-old Christian girl from the city of Faisalabad whose family says she was abducted June 12 before being forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man.
Worthy News is withholding the girl’s name because she is a minor and the allegations involve possible sexual abuse and exploitation.
Police eventually recovered the girl and arrested the man accused of abducting her. However, a court later granted him custody of the minor despite disputes over her age and a pending court-ordered medical examination, according to rights advocates and published reports.
CHRISTIAN GIRL’S AGE DISPUTED
The girl had earlier told a judicial magistrate that members of the man’s family pressured her to claim she was an adult. Her parents produced church records showing she was 13, while documents presented by the accused’s family reportedly listed her as 18.
Rights activists have called for her protection, saying conflicting age documents and allegations of coercion raised serious questions about the handling of the case.
Her case has also highlighted wider concerns about the abduction and forced conversion of girls from Pakistan’s religious minorities. The Centre for Social Justice documented 421 cases involving the abduction and forced conversion of minority women and girls between 2021 and 2024, including 137 Christians.
Christian advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) documented another 94 cases involving the abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage of minority women and girls in 2025, about a quarter of them Christian. The group said the actual number was likely higher because many cases go unreported.
MORE ABDUCTIONS DOCUMENTED
Most reported cases have occurred in Sindh and Punjab provinces. United Nations experts have also expressed concern about continuing and widespread patterns of abduction and forced religious conversion through marriage involving women and girls from Pakistan’s religious minorities.
In another case, two Christian youths, identified as Babar Masih and Sunil Masih, were reportedly seriously injured during an assault in Faisalabad after a dispute outside their home. They were taken to hospital for treatment.
Other reports received by Christian advocates included alleged threats and intimidation against Christians in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, and the reported desecration of a Christian cemetery in Qalha Sangian, a village in Punjab province’s Gujranwala District.
In Punjab’s city of Sahiwal, a Christian family alleged that police officers and associates of a complainant removed Christian books and a cross from a wardrobe during a raid on their home and threw them onto the floor. The family said some of these items were damaged.
ANTI-CHRISTIAN INCIDENTS REPORTED
Several of the latest allegations could not immediately be independently verified, and responsibility has not been established through judicial proceedings.
Gill, founder of Christian advocacy group LEAD Ministries, said Christians seeking justice can face delays in registering police complaints, difficulties preserving evidence, intimidation and the high cost of lengthy legal proceedings.
LEAD Ministries has documented cases involving alleged anti-Christian violence, discrimination, forced conversion of Christian girls and misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
Gill and other Christian advocates urged authorities to investigate reported abuses promptly, protect vulnerable families and prosecute those found responsible for criminal acts.
PAKISTAN RANKS EIGHTH FOR PERSECUTION
The developments come as Pakistan ranks eighth on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 countries where the Christian organization says believers face the most severe persecution for their faith.
Pakistan’s 2023 census counted about 3.3 million Christians, representing 1.37 percent of a population of roughly 241 million, while other estimates put the Christian population higher.
Most Pakistani Christians live in Punjab province, where many of the reported incidents have occurred.
For Pakistan’s Christian community, advocates say these cases underscore a broader need for equal protection under the law, including the right to practice their faith, protect their children and seek justice without fear of violence or intimidation.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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