by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A 17-year-old Christian youth who is incarcerated in Punjab Province, Pakistan has been granted bail in one of three cases against him of blasphemy – although he will remain in prison over Christmas because of the remaining two cases, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Akash Karamat, a student from a poor Christian family in Sargodha, Punjab Province, has been in prison since his arrest on August 27 last year, MSN reports. “Akash was accused of writing blasphemous posters and desecrating the Quran in areas of Sargodha, allegedly in retaliation for the Aug. 16, 2023, Muslim mob attacks on multiple churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala,” MSN said in its report.
Giving hope to his family that he may be released on bail for the remaining cases, on December 19 Akash was granted bail in the most serious case, one which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment if he is convicted, MSN reports.
In a statement to MSN, Akash’s attorney, Asad Jamal, said:
“Karamat and his co-accused, Zimran Asim, were implicated falsely in all three cases. Asim has already been freed on bail in all three cases, and we believe that Karamat will also get justice.”
In a separate statement, Akash’s father, Karamat Masih, told MSN about the impact his son’s incarceration has had. “We’ve suffered a lot since the time police arrested Akash on these false charges. I used to earn a livelihood for the family through my tailoring shop, but after Akash was arrested, we were forced to close it down and leave our home to save ourselves from violence. We’ve been surviving hand-to-mouth since then.”
Ruled by an Islamic regime with harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistan ranks 7 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.