«Tahir Bashir»: A New Chapter in the Persecution and Torture of Christians in Pakistan
Tahir Bashir, a defense lawyer for a Christian, has reported a new chapter in the persecution and torture of followers of Jesus Christ in Pakistan.
Tahir Bashir, the defense lawyer for a Pakistani Christian citizen who was sentenced to death by a special counter-terrorism court on charges of insulting sacred values, intends to challenge the court’s ruling in the Supreme Court in protest of this verdict.
“Pervaiz Masih,” a 36-year-old Pakistani Christian citizen, was sentenced to death on Friday, April 18, by the anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad city on charges of insulting the Quran, the holy book of Muslims. Tahir Bashir, his defense lawyer, confirmed the news of the death sentence against him on Monday, which coincided with Easter Sunday.
Tahir, who is opposed to the issuance of this verdict against his client, intends to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court. In a statement, he declared: “I pursued Pervaiz’s case in the Faisalabad anti-terrorism court and have now filed a complaint against this court’s verdict in the Supreme Court. The issuance of this sentence is a new chapter in the ongoing persecution and torture of followers of Jesus Christ in Pakistan. In addition to the death sentence, Pervaiz has also been ordered to pay a fine of 12,500 dollars.”
Pervaiz Masih, who was arrested in 2023 on charges of insulting Muslim sacred values and insulting the Quran, triggered extensive reactions from radical Islamists, resulting in a widespread assault on a Christian neighborhood in the city of “Jaranwala” in eastern Pakistan. As a result of these attacks, hundreds of houses and churches were burned, and thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes.
In addition to Pervaiz Masih, two other suspects named “David William Masih” and “Shahid Aftab,” known as “Bobby Masih,” were also arrested in a case related to his, but were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Insulting sacred values in Pakistan is subject to very severe laws, including the death penalty. Although the Pakistani government has not executed anyone on this charge so far, radical Islamists have repeatedly killed Christians and those opposed to Islam through extrajudicial methods. Human rights organizations, including the Christian organization “Open Doors,” have declared Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries for Christians to live in.
Christians not only in Pakistan, but also in other Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, are subjected to persecution, harassment, torture, arrest, severe imprisonment sentences, and fines. Despite the fact that Pakistan, Iran, and other Muslim-majority countries are signatories to the international covenant on freedom of religion and belief, they have violated human rights in the field of religious and ideological freedom and subjected Christians and other religious minorities to persecution and harassment.
