Source: www.persecution.org
Date: February 23, 2024
Pakistan (International Christian Concern) — Over the last two weeks, a case played out that, at first, might sound all too familiar to anyone following the struggle facing Christians in Pakistan. However, it ended in a way that many are saying might show that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel for those in the persecuted church.
On Feb. 10, Younas Masih, an elderly believer in Faisalabad, was accused by his Muslim neighbors of desecrating the Quran – a charge that has landed many other believers in prison for sentences of several years. This charge was baseless, as many of them are, though this rarely matters in the government’s eyes, as many believers have still been convicted despite lack of evidence. The misuse of these laws to settle personal grievances in cases like this one has drawn international attention, with many calling for them to be repealed.
The difference in this case is that the charges were dropped, and in only a matter of days, Younas was free again. A story like this one is rare but becoming more common thanks to the work of the Human Right Focus Pakistan (HRFP). Their mission is to ‘work for the promotion and protection of human rights with special focus to religious minorities, women and children.’ They were able to step in to prove that the charges against him were false.
Not only was Younas set free from jail after just three days, but the couple who originally made the accusation was then imprisoned for giving false testimony. This type of justice in Pakistan is rarer still but gives hope to the Pakistani church that justice is possible. Please continue praying for the work being done by the HRFP, that they will continue to set free those being held under pretense as one of many forms of persecution against the church in Pakistan.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for the freedom of those who remain imprisoned under false charges. Praise God that Younas was set free. Pray for blasphemy laws around the world to be overturned.