By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced a Christian man to death on Good Friday on controversial charges of blasphemy against Islam, Christians told Worthy News.
The court in the city of Faisalabad handed down the death penalty to Pervaiz, also known as Kodu Masih, for allegedly desecrating the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims. He also received a fine of roughly $12,500 in local currency, Worthy News learned.
Trial observers said the court acquitted the other two accused, Daud William Masih and Shahid Aftab, also known as Boby Masih, giving them “the benefit of the doubt.”
The alleged wrongdoing sparked attacks by an angry Muslim mob in the Jaranwala area against Christian communities on August 16, 2023.
The mob ransacked and torched numerous churches and Christian homes at the time, Worthy News documented.
Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of advocacy group LEAD Pakistan Ministries, told Worthy News that the international community should “move beyond statements of concern and take meaningful action.”
He warned that blasphemy laws are now “being weaponized in increasingly deceptive ways” in Pakistan, a mainly Muslim nation, including the use of women “as honey traps” to implicate innocent individuals falsely.
‘PATTERN OF ABUSE’
“This pattern of abuse,” Gill stated, “has turned the law into a tool of exploitation and entrapment rather than justice. The world must not remain silent as innocent lives are destroyed.”
News about the death sentence came while another man was reportedly lynched and killed when a few hundred workers of a religious party stormed a place of worship belonging to the Ahmadi community in Karachi’s Saddar area on Friday to prevent it from observing religious rituals, according to the police.
A statement from Ahmadi Muslim community spokesperson Amir Mehmood said about 40 members gathered inside to perform their religious rites. Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza said some 400 Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party workers gathered at the hall near the mobile market where the attack happened.
The victim, Laeeq Cheema, 46, was “filming the TLP workers near Hashu Centre when the mob started beating him and killed him,” the police official added in published remarks.
TLP is known as a far-right Islamist political party known for its violent protests against any changes to the blasphemy law in Pakistan or those deemed dangerous to its teachings, including even some Muslims.
“Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, but Christians are disproportionately affected,” explained advocacy group Open Doors. “Indeed, roughly a quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who make up just 1.8 percent of the population.”
It has ranked Pakistan 8th on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where it says Christians face most persecution for their faith in Christ.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he offered to send U.S. troops into Mexico to help combat the country’s deadly drug cartels — but said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum turned him down because she is “afraid of the cartels.”
In a sweeping new effort to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it will pay a $1,000 reward plus travel assistance to migrants who voluntarily leave the United States through a new self-deportation initiative.
Iran has announced the successful test of a new medium-range ballistic missile—Qassem Basir—boasting advanced capabilities designed to evade some of the world’s most sophisticated air defense systems, including the U.S.-made THAAD, currently deployed in Israel.
Israel’s security cabinet has approved an expansive military operation in Gaza, dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” with officials warning that unless a hostage deal is secured by the end of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming Middle East visit, the offensive will begin with full force.
The Israeli Air Force, in coordination with the United States, launched a wide-scale aerial assault on Houthi targets in Yemen late Sunday night, following a ballistic missile strike near Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport.
There was more anxiety in Europe on Monday after U.S. President Donald J. Trump did not rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland, the world’s largest island and an autonomous territory within Denmark.
A young Christian man working as an assistant lineman at Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) remained missing Sunday after he was abducted in the Pakistani province of Punjab, activists supporting his family told Worthy News.