There are currently 25,000 Christians in Islamabad, Pakistan, who are suddenly being asked to leave their homes by the nation’s Islamic authorities.
Christian families living in the capital city were told that they must leave within the next few days, per a report from International Christian Concern.
These families were resettled in Islamabad after the Rimsha Masih case in 2013, during which Masih, then a 14-year-old girl, was arrested on blasphemy charges.
Authorities claimed that she desecrated pages from the Quran.
Two weeks later, the Muslim cleric who reported her to the police was arrested for allegedly planting the pages in her bag, and she was eventually acquitted.
International Christian Concern noted that because Masih was a Christian, the case created “serious threats against the Christian community.”
Many families were moved to the communities in Islamabad “so they could live without fear,” and have built new lives there over more than a decade.
But now they are being asked to leave.
The government’s Capital Development Authority is claiming that the housing communities are not legal.
“There is no proper resettlement plan, no alternative land, and no clear compensation being offered to these families. This has raised serious concerns among the community,” International Christian Concern added.
Believers are praying and protesting, asking government leaders to halt the evictions until a solution is found.
Most of the families come from low-income backgrounds.
Some are not going to work because they fear that their homes could be demolished while they are gone.
“They work in jobs such as sanitation, domestic work, and other day labor,” International Christian Concern said. “Missing work even for a day is difficult for them, but the fear of losing their homes is even greater.”
Pakistan ranks eighth on Open Doors’ World Watch List for Christian persecution.
Beyond the specific threat against the Christians in Islamabad, Pakistan’s authorities have been using blasphemy laws to threaten Christians, with false accusations frequently emerging.
Those found guilty of blasphemy can even face the death penalty.
There is also a threat of mob violence against Christians, who have limited protection from the Islamic authorities.
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