Accused Christian Acquitted

In June 2024, Chand Shamaun was arrested and charged with insulting Islam, a charge that is commonly used in Pakistan against citizens belonging to minority religious groups. In fact, a recent report indicated that a record number of blasphemy cases had been filed during the year of 2024 – reaching a total of 344 official accusations. For the accused, imprisonment is typically dangerous and, in some cases, even deadly. And those who've been released on bail or acquitted frequently face vigilante violence from people who still perceive them to be guilty.

In Chand's particular situation, it became clear early on that there were problems with the case against him. In October, the Lahore High Court released him on bail after hearing his case. However, upon his release, he was forced into hiding because of the people's threats against him. For more details, see this report.

On May 10th, a final verdict was reached when a judge acquitted Chand of all charges. The court noted that prosecutors had "miserably failed" to establish their case against the innocent Christian man, even suggesting that the accusers may have "spun out an imaginary story with their imagination."

• Praise God for this encouraging court ruling, and for the fact that justice has been served in Chand's case!
• Pray for his safety as he now deals with the aftermath of the initial accusations against him. May those who hold anger against this Christian man no longer threaten him nor make any attempt to harm him, but rather may they realize and acknowledge his innocence.
• Pray for the many other believers presently facing accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan, asking for the Lord's intervention to take place in each of their situations as well – so that His justice will ultimately prevail.