PAKISTAN: The EU should suspend its trade privileges. Why? Blasphemy high on the agenda in July
The bad deal EU-Pakistan “Trade privileges in exchange of human rights progress” called the GSP+ should be suspended as long as an end is not put to the misuse of the blasphemy laws and to impunity.
HRWF (31.07.2025) – For a decade, Pakistan has been benefiting from a privileged access (reduced or zero duties) to the about 450 million consumers of the EU market. In this framework, Pakistan’s products enter the EU market with 0% duties across approximately 2/3 of all EU tariff lines. From 2014 to 2022, Pakistan’s exports to the EU almost doubled, from 8.3 billion EUR to almost 15 billion EUR.
In exchange, Pakistan pledged to sign and implement 27 international treaties regarding labour rights, good governance and human rights. This EU scheme is known as the GSP+.
Since the inception of this agreement, Pakistan has failed to demonstrate a tangible progress on the implementation of international human rights standards. Quite the contrary, the situation goes on worsening as this digest of human rights violations perpetrated in the sole month of June shows.
This is in addition to our monthly reports about the violations of religious freedom in March, April, May and June 2025.
It is time for the EU to take sanctions on Pakistan, such as the suspension of its GSP+ status as long as there is no robust progress in practice in the area of human rights. It is in the interest of the EU, the EU taxpayers, the EU enterprises and of course, Pakistani citizens.
Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan. The country has witnessed numerous mob lynchings and killings of individuals accused of blasphemy—many of whom were later found to be innocent. Even when the accused are taken into police custody, most are deprived of adequate legal representation, as many lawyers are afraid to take on such cases due to threats and vilification by right-wing religious and political groups.
From 2020 to 25 July 2024, the Pakistani National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) reported that 767 individuals were incarcerated on blasphemy charges across the country. The trend is exponential: 11 in 2020, 9 in 2021, 64 in 2022, 213 in 2023 and 475 until 22 February 2024.
Over the last 38 years (1987 – 2024), at least 2,793 persons were formally or informally accused of blasphemy in Pakistan according to the 2025 Human Rights Observer of the Pakistani Center for Social Justice (CSJ) . The report stated that at least 104 persons were killed extra-judicially following blasphemy allegations between 1994 and 2024.
Pakistan cutting death penalty crimes sparks call for total abolition
UCA News (28.07.2025) – A decision by Pakistan‘s Senate to back the abolition of the death penalty for two crimes has sparked calls by Christian activists to end capital punishment for other offenses, including blasphemy.
The call came after the Senate on July 18 approved the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, which stipulated replacing the death penalty with life sentences and fines for assault and public spoliation of a woman; and aiding the hijacking of an airplane or other public vehicle.
Pakistan punishes 31 offenses with death sentences including crimes against the state and high treason; military offenses such as mutiny and misconduct in combat; violent crimes such as murder, robbery, rape, and gang rape; kidnapping for ransom; terrorism, sabotage, and hijacking.
Observers say the move to revoke death penalty for two crimes is linked to Pakistan’s retention of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) from the European Union (EU).
The GSP+ is a special trade status granted by the European Union that offers tariff-free access to EU markets in exchange for implementing international human rights and labor rights conventions.
A former executive director of the Pakistani Catholic bishop’s National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), Chaudhry also urged the government to “consider abolishing the death penalty for blasphemy.”
Leading Pakistan rights group decries government crackdown
DW (26.07.2025) – One of Pakistan’s most prominent civil rights organizations has said it faces intimidation and harassment from authorities, warning of a widespread threat to rights advocacy in the country.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent civil rights group, has warned that its operations are being affected due to pressure from Pakistani authorities.
“In the past few months, HRCP has faced a series of arbitrary, illegal and unjustified actions that have impeded the organization’s ability to carry out its mandate,” the commission said in a statement released earlier in July.
Harris Khalique, HRCP’s secretary-general, told DW that the group has been facing “unprecedented pressure.”
“Authorities prevent us from organizing events and create disruptions. They have sealed the HRCP’s Lahore office, frozen our bank accounts, claiming it is involved in commercial activities, and have blocked our electricity meters while issuing inflated bills,” he said.11:39
The HRCP was co-founded in 1987 by late lawyer and activist Asma Jahangir, former Supreme Court Justice Dorab Patel and former Air Force Chief of Staff Zafar Chaudhry. It has since grown into Pakistan’s leading human rights organization.
Order for panel to probe blasphemy law abuse suspended
Christian Daily International (25.07.2025) Efforts to curb abuse of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws suffered a major setback on Thursday (July 24) when judges suspended a prior court order to form a commission to investigate misuse of the harsh laws, sources said.
The division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Justice Mohammad Azam Khan issued the stay order after hearing preliminary arguments on appeals filed by leaders of a “blasphemy business group” challenging the July 15 ruling of IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan.
Murtaza, who is a member of the Senate of Pakistan from the rightwing Islamist party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), also questioned the legal authority of the court to form such a commission, arguing it rested solely with the federal government.
Christian accused of blasphemy after calling out Muslim shopkeeper’s fraud
Christian Daily International (25.07.2025) – Police in Pakistan arrested and charged a 60-year-old Catholic man with blasphemy after he accused a Muslim shopkeeper of overcharging him, sources said.
Amir Peter of Nishat Colony in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, was charged last Saturday under Section 295-C of the country’s controversial blasphemy laws pertaining to disrespect of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad — punishable with death — on the complaint of Sanor Ali.
When Peter went to Ali’s shop to buy a few groceries on Saturday morning, Ali overcharged him for the items, leading to a verbal spat, said Katherine Sapna, executive director of the legal group Christians’ True Spirit (CTS).
“Angered by the Catholic’s rebuke, Ali lunged at the man and started beating him,” Sapna told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Peter was rescued by some bystanders, after which he came home, only to be arrested a couple of hours later on a false blasphemy accusation.”
Family of Muslim man who raped 14-year-old Christian girl pressure parents to drop charges
Christian Daily International (23.07.2025) – Relatives of a Pakistani Muslim man who raped a 14-year-old Christian girl are threatening her family to compel them to drop the charges.
Javed Masih of Chak No. R-97/6 village in Sahiwal District, Punjab Province, said that Sajid Ali, the married son of his employer Mukhtar Ali, went to his house on June 14 while Masih and his wife were working in the fields and raped their daughter while she was alone at home.
“The accused raped her at gunpoint and before leaving threatened her that he would kill me if she told anyone about the incident,” Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Fearing for my life, my innocent daughter kept silent about the barbarity that she had suffered at the hands of Sajid Ali.”
Masih said that he and his wife learned of the assault two weeks later, after they became concerned that their daughter, whose name is withheld as a rape victim, was not acting like her usual self. A ninth-grade student who normally had a lively personality, she was avoiding her parents and siblings, he said.
Police arrest 11 suspects over ‘honor killing’ of newlywed couple in Pakistan
AP (19.07.2025) — Police in southwestern Pakistan arrested 11 suspects after a video went viral, showing a young couple fatally shot for marrying without their families’ approval, authorities said Monday.
The disturbing footage caused an uproar in the country, with activists demanding swift justice and a stop to , where family members target women who don’t follow local traditions and culture or decide to marry someone of their choosing.
The video, which surfaced over the weekend on social media and was viewed by The Associated Press, showed a man shooting the young couple at close range in daylight as others stood by. Police confirmed the authenticity of the footage, saying the killings happened in the Deghari district in the province of Balochistan, according to Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
IHC orders probe commission on blasphemy cases
Daily Times (17.07.2025) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the federal government to establish a formal commission of inquiry to investigate blasphemy-related cases across the country. The decision was made during the hearing of petitions filed by civil society members and legal activists, who raised concerns over the rising misuse and mishandling of blasphemy allegations.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan presided over the hearing and approved the formation of the commission, ordering that it be constituted within 30 days. He instructed that the commission must complete its proceedings and submit a detailed report to the court within four months.
The court acknowledged that blasphemy accusations have, in many cases, led to mob violence, extra-judicial actions, and harassment of innocent citizens—often without proper evidence or legal process. The petitioners argued that such cases need transparent investigation mechanisms to ensure justice and to protect citizens from being wrongly targeted.
Two Christians acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan
Christian Daily International / Morning Star News (09.07.2025) – A court on Tuesday (July 8) acquitted two Christian youths of a false blasphemy charge rooted in a minor dispute, their lawyer said.
Adil Babar and Simon Nadeem were 18 and 14 years old respectively when they were charged in 2023. Sohail Rafique, Magistrate Section 30 Cantt Courts, Lahore, yesterday exonerated now 20-year-old Babar and 16-year-old Nadeem of the charge registered under Section 295-A of Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws, said Supreme Court Advocate Naseeb Anjum.
The two Catholics were arrested on May 18, 2023 and initially charged under Section 295-C relating to disrespect of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, punishable with mandatory death; and Section 298-A, relating to insulting holy personages, including the wives, family members and companions of Muhammad, and the four caliphs of Islam. It is punishably by life imprisonment with a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Court in Pakistan denies custody of Christian girl to Muslim
Christian Daily International/ Morning Star News (08.07.2025) – In a significant development, a court in Pakistan refused to hand custody of a Catholic girl to a Muslim who abducted and forcibly converted/married her, noting that as a minor she could not go with him even if she said she was willing to do so, sources said.
Burewala Magistrate Tajamal Hussain on Thursday (July 3) recorded the claim of 14-year-old Elishba Adnan that she had converted to Islam and married Babar Mukhtar of her own free will.
“In her statement recorded under her alleged Islamic name ‘Fatima Bibi,’ Elishba claimed that she had married Mukhtar on June 12 and wanted to live with him,” rights activist Albert Patras told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “However, the magistrate took note of her birth certificate presented by her parents, which showed that she was a minor, therefore her alleged marriage to a man twice her age was illegal under Punjab’s anti-child marriage laws.”
Hindu families asked to pay US$35,000 to get back abducted children converted to Islam
Bitter Winter (04.07.2025) – On June 20, 2025, a court in Shahdadpur, Sindh, issued a controversial ruling regarding the custody of two Hindu minors, Dashina Bai (15) and Harjeet Kumar, also known as Hani (13). The court mandated that their families deposit personal surety bonds equivalent to US$35,000 each, an enormous sum for them, as a pre-condition for the children’s return.
This ruling follows allegations that the minors were abducted at gunpoint and forcibly converted to Islam, a claim made by their parents when they filed an FIR against local computer teacher Farhan Khaskheli and three accomplices.
The court determined that only the two minors would be returned to their parents, albeit with stringent conditions: the hefty surety bonds were imposed as a safeguard against potential “coercion” to revert to Hinduism. Additionally, the court mandated that the children be allowed to practice Islam unhindered.
The court also ordered the release of Farhan Khaskheli, the primary accused in the abduction cases, raising concerns regarding the legal and ethical ramifications of the ruling.
‘Pressure’ on top rights body alarms Pakistani activists
UCA News (04.07.2025) – The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) issued a statement on July 2 alleging “arbitrary, illegal and unjustified actions” that are impeding its operations and threatening its independence.
In recent months, authorities have blocked the commission’s events without legal justification, and its staff were harassed and questioned by police, the statement said, adding that such actions are unprecedented since its foundation in 1987.
Father Bonnie Mendes, founder of the Society for Human Development based in Punjab province, deplored any attempt to weaken the commission.
Pakistan court paves way for official recognition of Christian convert
UCA NEWS (03.07.2025) – A Pakistani court has granted relief to a former Muslim woman who converted to Christianity over a decade and a half ago, but was denied a national identity card by authorities who rebuked her for renouncing Islam.
The Lahore High Court issued the landmark ruling on July 1, directing the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to issue Tabish Naz a new computerized national identity card, identifying her as a Christian married to a Catholic man, Khurram Shahzad.
Naz is likely the first such case in Muslim-majority Pakistan to have her religion change registered in government records, say Christian leaders and legal rights activists.
