While Christianity has been a significant part of Pakistan's cultural fabric for centuries, Islam remains the country's dominant religion, thereby controlling much of society. Typically, the suffering of Christians has stemmed from two primary sources: 1) accusations of blasphemy leading to charges and imprisonment, and 2) the kidnapping of young women and girls who are subsequently forced to convert to Islam and marry their captors.
This year brought some minor yet notable changes. For example, known incidents of kidnapping and forcible marriages were reported on four occasions, which indicates a decrease from the total numbers reported in previous years. Newly enacted laws restricting underage marriages may have positively contributed to this improvement. However, young women remain at risk of being coerced to legally convert from their Christian faith and marry against their will.
Although false blasphemy charges remained a major concern, there have been encouraging developments within Pakistan's judicial system. Several Christians who were accused or convicted of blasphemy had thankfully been acquitted in 2025. Additionally, the Islamabad High Court took note of a media investigation revealing a coordinated campaign to entrap innocent Christians, which led to the resignation of a Lahore High Court judge who was allegedly involved in the scheme.
Regrettably, during 2025, there were several instances in which acts of violence had been perpetrated against followers of Jesus. These incidents included a Christian worker who was physically beaten by his supervisor after refusing to convert to Islam, as well as a pastor who was assassinated because of his ministry activities. Other cases involved attacks on Christian groups that were attending church gatherings. One of those assaults targeted a van load of pilgrims who were travelling enroute to a religious site. To access previously published reports covering these situations, as well as others of concern, go to our country profile.
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