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A silent demonstration was held in front of the United Nations Office in Geneva alongside Broken Chair to raise a voice in solidarity to eradicate the malicious blasphemy law and forced conversions in Pakistan.
The ongoing mistreatment of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan is an issue of immense importance that receives scant attention from the United Nations or international human rights organizations.
Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan have been treated as second-class citizens, their constitution legally bars religious minorities from high government offices.
According to the protestors, the country’s Christian community continues to suffer discrimination, intolerance, and instances of outright persecution.
Religious places like churches have become an easy target for Christian persecution. In the Islamic Republic, Christians, Hindus, and other religious minorities are routinely subjected to multiple forms of discrimination and harassment.
In one such incident, a 22-year-old Pakistani Christian, was severely tortured by a Muslim landlord in Pakistan’s Kasur District because he used the landlord’s tube-well to bathe. Three days later, he died due to the severity of his injuries.
In 2020, Pakistan has ranked fifth on the Open Doors USA World Watch List of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith.
Abduction, sexual assault, forced marriage, and forced conversion has also continued to negatively affect Pakistan’s Christian community. The country’s anti-blasphemy laws are disproportionately applied against the Christian minority—making it difficult and dangerous to live out one’s faith in public.
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