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        <title>Christian Daily International | Asia</title>
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        <description><![CDATA[Asia news from Christian Daily International providing biblical, factual and personal news, stories and perspectives from every region, focusing on religious freedom, integrated gospel and other issues that are relevant for the global Church today. ]]></description>
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                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Global study finds a third of young people have an AI companion as close friendships narrow]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/global-study-finds-a-third-of-young-people-have-an-ai-companion</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/global-study-finds-a-third-of-young-people-have-an-ai-companion</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A young woman using a smartphone. AI. technology. Mobile phone.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A global study released Sept. 10, 2026, by the Christian youth ministry Young Life found that 35% of adolescents and young adults surveyed across 11 countries report having an artificial intelligence companion, and that 60% of those users say they are more comfortable confiding in it than in some friends or family members. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:26:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[More than a third of adolescents and young adults surveyed across 11 countries say they have an artificial intelligence companion, and most of that group say they find it easier to confide in the software than in some of their friends or relatives, according to research released Thursday by Young Life.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
More than a third of adolescents and young adults surveyed across 11 countries say they have an artificial intelligence companion, and most of that group say they find it easier to confide in the software than in some of their friends or relatives, according to research released Thursday (Sept. 10) by Young Life.
The RELATE Project 2026, the second wave of a global study by the Christian youth ministry, surveyed 7,105 people ages 13 to 24 online between November 2025 and January 2026 and followed the survey with 22 focus groups involving 97 participants, most of them Young Life volunteers or staff. Young Life said the findings point in two directions at once: the number of close relationships young people report has fallen since 2023 and conversational AI has moved into part of that space, yet the same respondents say they increasingly prefer to meet in person.
Nearly all those surveyed — 89% — said they use AI in some form, most often for practical tasks, the report said. About one in three use it relationally. Within the full sample, 35% said they have an AI companion, a figure the study reported at 45% among 13- to 15-year-olds and 29% among 22- to 24-year-olds. Young men were somewhat more likely than young women to report one, 38% to 32%.
Of those with an AI companion, 60% agreed strongly or somewhat that they are more comfortable with it than with some friends or family members, according to the study. The report also said roughly one in 10 adolescents manage stress by talking with an AI companion.
Spiritual questions put to chatbots
The survey asked for the first time whether young people treat AI as a source of religious guidance. Across the sample, 41% agreed that AI is a reliable source for spiritual questions and 30% disagreed, the report said, with the youngest respondents the most willing to trust it in that area.
Identity questions showed a smaller but notable shift. Asked whom they trust most when working out who they are, two-thirds of respondents named friends or family. Teachers, coaches, pastors and other religious leaders ranked at the bottom of that list. Eight percent named AI.
Young Life cautioned in the report that AI companions are built to supply constant validation, simulated empathy and immediate availability, and that leaning on them in place of people may leave young users without practice in conflict, disappointment, apology and repair. The organization described the technology as functioning for the next generation as a low-risk substitute or supplement for human relationships.
That concern was echoed by young people themselves. In focus groups, older members of Generation Z said they worried about how readily their younger peers accept AI and wished they were more skeptical, according to the report.
"The RELATE Project tells us that while young people are constantly connected online, they are craving authentic, in-person community," said Newt Crenshaw, president and CEO of Young Life, in a statement accompanying the release. He said respondents were looking for "trusted, consistent adults" who would earn and keep their trust and listen.
What counts as listening
One of the study's more pointed findings concerns how young people define good listening. Asked what matters most, 42% chose giving full attention and putting devices away, and 33% chose responding without judgment. Asking follow-up questions came last, cited by 19% — a break from the active-listening model taught to earlier generations, the report said.
Those criteria closely match what chatbots are designed to do: express empathy, keep what is said private and withhold judgment. The report drew the comparison directly.
Fewer people to turn to
The average number of close relationships young people reported fell from 5.3 in 2023 to 4.4 in the latest wave, Young Life said. On average, respondents said they had two people they could talk to about things that really matter.
Four in 10 said they were not fully confident that any adult in their life is genuinely interested in listening to them. Satisfaction with friendships has held steady, with 58% rating their contentment at eight or higher on a 10-point scale, but focus group participants described relationships as central to their lives and, at the same time, unreliable.
Trust is conditional. In every country surveyed, confidentiality ranked as the first priority in building trust, with 73% calling it extremely or very important. Loyalty was the trait most respondents wanted to be known for, chosen by 53%. Focus groups defined both as not repeating someone's story without permission — a definition shaped, participants said, by growing up with parents and peers who post about them without asking.
"This starts with proving we are safe enough to listen — protecting their confidentiality and offering space for them without immediately trying to offer advice or judgment," said Kimberly Nollan, director of research and practice at Young Life.
Preference for face-to-face contact rose over the same period. Sixty-four percent named it as their preferred way to communicate with close friends, up from 54% in 2023. Yet 63% said they find it easier to express themselves online than in person, a pattern the report said was strongest among the youngest respondents.
Stress, sleep and mental health
More than a third of respondents, 35%, said they feel a lot or a great deal of stress regularly. Their most common worries were thinking about the future, cited by 57%, money at 49% and school at 42%. Mental health ranked as the top concern across the full sample and among the top three in nearly every country surveyed.
Sleep was short almost everywhere. Only 40% of 13- to 15-year-olds reported eight hours or more, falling to 25% among those ages 22 to 24. Music was the most common way respondents said they relieve stress, chosen by 57%, ahead of time with friends, exercise and time outdoors.
Faith described as lived rather than inherited
Across all countries, 71% said they follow their family's religious affiliation. More than four in 10 expressed a commitment to faith and a desire to grow in it, the most frequent response in every country surveyed, regardless of religious background.
Among respondents who identified as Christians, 71% said they believe they are important to God and the same share said their faith is important in their life. Fewer reported having a relationship with God, at 55%, or having made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ, at 57%. Only 26% felt strongly that their beliefs help them understand the world and how to live in it.
The report found a link between feeling important to God and believing oneself worthy of being loved. Sixty-two percent of respondents rated their worthiness of being loved at eight or higher; among those with no religious affiliation, the figure was about half. Religious adolescents also reported a greater sense of being able to make a difference in others' lives than those who identified as atheist, agnostic or unaffiliated, 42% to 45% against 28%.
Focus group participants described faith less as a fixed system of belief than as something practical and tested, and said Generation Z has little appetite for a faith that is inherited or taught in the abstract. They judge the credibility of Christianity, according to the report, by whether adult leaders live out what they preach.
On forgiveness, 36% said they almost always forgive someone who makes a mistake and 39% said they often do. Some focus group participants questioned those numbers, suggesting their peers may prefer to think of themselves as forgiving while avoiding the work of repair. The report connected that pattern to the premium placed on staying calm and avoiding conflict.
The survey covered the United States, with 1,672 respondents, the United Kingdom, 880; India, 822; Mexico, 804; Hong Kong, 706; Ethiopia, 426; Nigeria, 400; Kenya, 356; Argentina, 353; Liberia, 345; and Zimbabwe, 341.
Young Life, founded 85 years ago, works through volunteers who build friendships with adolescents and introduce them to Christianity. The ministry said the RELATE findings are already shaping how it trains leaders and equips parents. The full report and regional breakdowns are available at relate.younglife.org.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Religious freedom restricted as publication ban is upheld in Pakistan]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/religious-freedom-restricted-as-publication-ban-is-upheld-in-pakistan</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/religious-freedom-restricted-as-publication-ban-is-upheld-in-pakistan</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5268.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Federal Constitutional Court in Islamabad, Pakistan.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Screenshot, Express News video ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Federal Constitutional Court in Islamabad, Pakistan. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:14:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Tuesday (Sept. 8) ruled that the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom is subject to law, public policy and morality.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Tuesday (Sept. 8) ruled that the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom is subject to law, public policy and morality.
In a ruling with consequences for Christians and other religious minorities, the FCC upheld a provincial government’s ban on a 23-volume publication of the minority Ahmadiyya community.
A division bench headed by Justice Aamer Farooq and comprising Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah dismissed petitions by the Ahmadiyya community challenging the Punjab provincial government’s ban, rejecting the petitioners’ claim that it violated their right to religious freedom under Article 20 of the Constitution.
The 14-page judgment, authored by Farooq, concerned the Ahmadiyya community’s “Rohani Khazayeen,” Volumes 1 to 23, which were banned and ordered forfeited under a June 25, 2014, notification issued by the Punjab Home Department under Section 99-A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The Ahmadiyya petitioners had challenged Lahore High Court and Multan bench decisions dismissing their cases on grounds that included considerable delay and failure to use available legal remedies within the prescribed limitation period. They argued that the executive action banning the publications infringed their constitutional right to religious freedom.
The FCC ruled, however, that determining whether Article 20 had been violated required careful examination of the validity, strength and reasoning underlying the bans and forfeiture under the CrPC and relevant ordinance.
The court said it could not proceed on assumptions because the petitioners had failed to bring the actual material before the court through the appropriate legal remedies. It also criticized the petitioners’ counsel for making broad arguments about fundamental rights and religious freedom instead of showing the court the content of the publications and explaining their alleged impact.
The judgment described the claim that the executive had violated the petitioners’ religious freedom as “an afterthought,” saying the argument amounted to a general discourse on fundamental rights and Article 20.
The FCC further rejected the characterization of the ban as an exercise of unfettered executive power. It said the proper approach was to identify the precise legal source of the authority behind the challenged action and then assess its conformity with fundamental rights.
The court distinguished between actions taken through “bare executive discretion” and those undertaken pursuant to statutory authorization, holding that the action in this case fell within the latter category. It said the authority for the forfeiture was traceable to statutory provisions in the CrPC and the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance, 2002.
The court also linked religious freedom to Article 4 of the Constitution, which guarantees that every individual be dealt with in accordance with law and receive equal protection of the law. Article 4, the judgment said, provides a foundational guarantee underpinning the broader constitutional scheme of fundamental rights, including freedom of religion.
The FCC noted that the petitioners had not challenged the government’s notifications under Section 99-B of the CrPC and Section 20 of the ordinance within the prescribed limitation period. Instead, they filed petitions under Article 199 of the Constitution after considerable delay. The court found no plausible justification for the delay, noting that the petitioners had failed to provide any cogent explanation for not approaching the high court earlier.
The record also showed that an Ulema (scholars) board had examined the publications and concluded that their contents could cause hatred among Muslims, recommending their forfeiture.
The court ruled that, given the procedural failures and absence of the relevant material, it was unable to determine the constitutional question in the manner sought by the petitioners.
“We can safely conclude that there was no violation of fundamental rights of the petitioners in the facts and circumstances,” the judgment stated.
The FCC then dismissed the petitions, refused leave to appeal and disposed of all pending applications.
The ruling comes a day after six U.N. special rapporteurs expressed concern over continuing reports of discrimination, violence, and legal restrictions targeting members of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan.
“We are deeply concerned by persistent reports that members of the Ahmadiyya community continue to face harassment, criminal prosecution, violence, and exclusion because of their religious identity,” the experts stated in a Sept. 7 press release. “Every individual has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. No one should be subjected to discrimination, intimidation, or violence, nor should they be prevented from peacefully manifesting their faith, or face discrimination with respect to any of their human rights.”
The experts noted with concern reports of ongoing attacks on Ahmadiyya places of worship; desecration of graves; interference with peaceful religious observance, including in the context of the Islamic celebrations of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha; arrests and prosecutions related to religious practices or identity; and hate speech. These reports underscore the need for effective measures to prevent violence, ensure accountability, and protect vulnerable communities, they stated.
“The State has a responsibility to exercise due diligence to prevent human rights violations, investigate allegations promptly and impartially, prosecute those responsible in accordance with international standards, and provide effective remedies to victims,” the experts said.
Pakistan must break the pattern of impunity that has allowed perpetrators of attacks and incitement to hatred and violence to act without restraint, they stated.
“These attacks take place with tacit official complicity whilst the cycle of fear prevents people and institutions from upholding the rights and dignity of these minority groups,” they said, calling on the Pakistani government to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their religion or belief, enjoy equal protection under the law without discrimination.
The experts also urged the government to review legislation and administrative measures that may be inconsistent with its obligations under international human rights law, including the rights to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, cultural rights, and equality before the law.
“Combating religious intolerance requires more than responding to individual incidents,” they said. “It requires sustained efforts to foster respect for diversity, counter incitement to hatred and violence, and create an environment in which all religious or belief communities can live in safety and dignity.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Russia designates Christian ministries ‘undesirable’]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/russia-designates-christian-ministries-undesirable</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/russia-designates-christian-ministries-undesirable</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Bethel]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5266.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Mission Eurasia President Sergey Rakhuba.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Mission Eurasia ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Mission Eurasia President Sergey Rakhuba. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:39:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office has ruled that foreign organizations, including Christian ministries, threaten the security of the country, according to rights group Forum 18.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office has ruled that foreign organizations, including Christian ministries, threaten the security of the country, according to rights group Forum 18. 
Following the ruling, the Justice Ministry added U.S.-based Mission Eurasia to its official register of “undesirable organizations.” Under Russian law, citizens and entities who cooperate with blacklisted organizations risk administrative fines and potential criminal prosecution.
The consequences have already reached local Christian institutions. In July, a court found Pyotr Mitskevich, president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists and rector of Moscow Theological Seminary, guilty under Article 20.33 after prosecutors inspected the seminary library and discovered books published by Mission Eurasia. 
The literature included Christian leadership and ministry resources from the ministry's School Without Walls program. The court fined Mitskevich 20,000 rubles ($234).
In another case, authorities fined a local Baptist pastor after finding 178 copies of the New Testament and 74 Gospel of John booklets published by Mission Eurasia inside his church. A Moscow Region court ordered officials to destroy the confiscated Scripture.
Mission Eurasia President Sergey Rakhuba, a native of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas Region, said the Russian government provided no advance warning or explanation for blacklisting the ministry.
“We received no warning, no heads-up, no request for clarification – nothing,” Rakhuba said. “So, I don’t want to speculate about their exact motivation. But I think we have to look at this in the much larger context of what has been happening in Russia for a number of years.”
Rakhuba emphasized that Mission Eurasia is not a political organization. Having lived in Russia for many years before moving to the United States, Rakhuba noted the mission’s 35-year history in the region, established during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Over three decades, the organization trained thousands of young leaders, distributed Bibles and literature, planted churches, and supported humanitarian work.
“I know Russia very well. We have deep, lifelong relationships throughout the evangelical community there,” Rakhuba said. “We have never gone to Russia to organize political opposition. That has never been our mission.”
Instead, the mission focused on equipping national Christian leaders to serve their own communities while helping the global church to understand the needs of evangelicals across Eurasia. Rakhuba noted the Russian government increasingly views independent organizations with international ties, especially those outside state control, with deep suspicion.
“Mission Eurasia is an American-based organization with deep historic relationships with evangelical Christians throughout the former Soviet Union, including both Russia and Ukraine,” Rakhuba said. “Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have also spoken openly about the enormous suffering we see there.”
Through its Religious Freedom Initiative, Mission Eurasia has documented human rights abuses in Russia and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Independent reports have detailed abduction and torture of religious leaders, confiscation of property, restrictions on religious minorities, and preferential treatment given to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in occupied areas.
Rakhuba said the “undesirable” label fits a broader pattern of state control over civil society and independent religious activity. He cited a “sad historical irony” in remembering a warning by mission founder Peter Deyneka Jr., who noted in 1991 that while God had opened an extraordinary window of opportunity for the gospel in Russia, that window would eventually close.
“For more than three decades we worked while that window was open,” Rakhuba said. “Today, unfortunately, we are watching it close.”
Rakhuba expressed that his greatest concern centers on ordinary Russian evangelicals who may face penalties simply for possessing materials linked to Mission Eurasia.
“For more than 35 years, since the collapse of the USSR, we have published millions of copies of Scripture, Christian books and training materials,” Rakhuba said. “Some of those materials have been sitting peacefully on church and seminary bookshelves for many years. And now, against all possible logic, those books can suddenly become dangerous.”
During the Soviet era, authorities treated the Bible as a dangerous book and branded U.S.-printed Christian literature as a Western ideological weapon.
“Now Russia presents itself as a defender of traditional Christian values – and yet once again, evangelical Christians can face trouble because they have Bibles and Christian books connected to a foreign Christian ministry,” Rakhuba said.
The risk of prosecution creates widespread anxiety among some pastors across Russia.
“Think about the message that sends to an ordinary pastor somewhere in Russia,” Rakhuba said. “If the president of the Baptist Union can be taken to court because Mission Eurasia books are sitting in a seminary library, an ordinary pastor naturally begins asking, ‘What can they do to me?’ That creates fear. And I believe fear and intimidation are among the most damaging effects of these actions.”
Soviet Patterns
Rakhuba described the emotional toll of seeing Russian courts order the destruction of New Testaments.
“For someone who grew up in the Soviet Union, it is difficult to describe what it feels like to hear in 2026 that a Russian court has ordered copies of the New Testament destroyed because of the Christian organization that published them,” Rakhuba said. “We can replace books. We can change methods. Mission Eurasia can adapt to this situation. But I do not want a pastor, a young Christian leader or a church family in Russia to suffer simply because they received a Bible with Mission Eurasia’s imprint on the back page.”
Mission Eurasia is altering its operating methods to protect local Christians. The organization can no longer legally operate offices in Russia, and historic partnerships, resource sharing, and financial support must now adapt to avoid endangering Russian evangelicals.
Rakhuba stressed that this legal pressure built up over years rather than happening overnight. In 2016, Russia passed anti-terrorism legislation known as the Yarovaya law, which severely restricted missionary work and public evangelism. Subsequent “foreign agent” laws forced church leaders to reconsider whether accepting foreign training or financial aid carried too much risk.
“For evangelical Christians, this is especially painful because Christianity by its very nature is broader and global,” Rakhuba said. “The church does not stop at national borders.”
He noted that after the fall of the Soviet Union, Mission Eurasia purposefully focused on empowering local, indigenous Russian leaders rather than sending U.S. missionaries to run programs. Yet, Russian authorities now treat even these local-led international partnerships with suspicion.
Looking ahead, Mission Eurasia will alter its strategy inside Russia to protect local Christians while continuing to seek responsible ways to support Russian evangelicals. In contrast to its restricted work in Russia, Mission Eurasia has expanded its operations in Ukraine, providing trauma care, food, and ministry support to affected families and children.
“Governments can close an organization’s office. They can prohibit a foreign organization. They can confiscate books. They can block financial channels,” Rakhuba said. “But it is much harder to stop the gospel when it is already in the hearts and hands of thousands of local believers.”
Reflecting on his childhood in the USSR, Rakhuba noted that while modern Russia is not identical to the Soviet Union, the patterns of surveillance, restrictions on literature, and suspicion toward Christians feel painfully familiar.
“So, if the Russian government completely closes the door to Mission Eurasia as a foreign organization, we will recognize that reality and we will not recklessly endanger believers inside Russia,” Rakhuba said. “Governments can blacklist organizations...But they cannot blacklist the gospel, and they cannot stop what God is doing in the hearts of His people.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Manny Pacquiao takes up anti-poverty role in Philippines, urged to lead with faith and integrity]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/boxing-icon-manny-pacquiao-takes-up-anti-poverty-role-in-philippines</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/boxing-icon-manny-pacquiao-takes-up-anti-poverty-role-in-philippines</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ellen Gabisay]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Pacquiao takes anti-poverty post, urged to lead with faith and integrity]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Presidential Communications Office ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Manny Pacquiao took an oath as a secretary and lead convenor of the Philippines’ National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC). ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 06:56:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Former senator and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has returned to public service as secretary and lead convenor of the Philippines’ National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), with Christian leaders urging him to serve vulnerable Filipinos with compassion, integrity and a commitment to God.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Former senator and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has returned to public service as secretary and lead convenor of the Philippines’ National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), with Christian leaders urging him to serve vulnerable Filipinos with compassion, integrity and a commitment to God.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administered Pacquiao’s oath at Malacañang Palace on Sept. 8. He succeeds Lope B. Santos III, who served as NAPC secretary and lead convenor since 2023. The commission coordinates government poverty-reduction efforts, strengthens anti-poverty policies and promotes the participation of basic sectors in governance and development.
Malacañang cited Pacquiao’s experience with poverty and his history of helping marginalized Filipinos as among the reasons for his appointment. Pacquiao has previously recalled sleeping on cardboard, going without food and saving loose coins to help his family.
Bishop Noel Alba Pantoja, head of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, welcomed the appointment as an opportunity for Pacquiao to serve Filipinos who are “poor, vulnerable, and in need of hope and opportunity.” In a message following the appointment, Pantoja described Pacquiao as his “dear brother” and encouraged him to approach the new responsibility as an opportunity for Christian service.
Pantoja cited Colossians 3:23-24, which calls believers to work wholeheartedly “as working for the Lord,” and prayed that Pacquiao would receive “wisdom, strength, compassion, and integrity.” He also expressed hope that Pacquiao’s leadership would bring people together, strengthen communities, create opportunities and help develop lasting solutions to poverty.
Pantoja’s call to servant leadership echoes Pacquiao’s message at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, where he challenged about 4,000 Christian leaders and young people from more than 50 countries to make their faith visible through service and the way they treat others.
Pacquiao, who spoke about turning from a past marked by drunkenness and gambling after surrendering his life to Jesus Christ, urged believers to read Scripture, pray and demonstrate their faith through their actions.
His new role puts that message of service in a practical setting, as the NAPC addresses poverty-related concerns including food, employment, education, housing and health under the Magna Carta of the Poor.
Pacquiao’s return to government follows his service in the House of Representatives and Senate, his 2022 presidential campaign and an unsuccessful bid for another Senate term in 2025.
As he begins his work at the NAPC, his personal experience of poverty and stated commitment to Christian service will be tested against the practical challenges facing millions of Filipinos. For Pantoja, the responsibility is ultimately an opportunity for Pacquiao to use public leadership to serve others and honor Christ.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Afghanistan is the only country that bars girls past sixth grade. New research shows they are still learning.]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/afghanistan-bars-girls-past-sixth-grade-new-research-shows-how-they-keep-learning</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/afghanistan-bars-girls-past-sixth-grade-new-research-shows-how-they-keep-learning</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A student thumbs through a notebook during class at a secret school on August 14, 2022 in Kabul, Afghanistan.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Nava Jamshidi/Getty Images ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 14: A student thumbs through a notebook during class at a secret school on August 14, 2022 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Secondary education for girls has been banned since shortly after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, spurring the creation of secret, unofficial schools for older girls. Four years on, some girls and women are accessing learning online, though patchy internet access limits how far it reaches. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:58:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are shut out of school beyond the sixth grade, and where women are barred from university. Five years into that ban, new research suggests the classroom doors closed but the learning did not stop.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are shut out of school beyond the sixth grade, and where women are barred from university. Five years into that ban, new research suggests the classroom doors closed but the learning did not stop.
Findings from 2,612 Afghan respondents, released Tuesday (Sept. 8) on International Literacy Day, describe girls and young women studying through private courses, online lessons, borrowed phones and small study circles organized among friends. The research was presented by Benazir Poya, head of Anar Academy, at a global virtual event hosted by the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) and moderated by its secretary general, Dr. Matthias Boehning.
Poya was careful to say the alternatives are not a substitute. Informal learning "can preserve hope," she said, but it cannot restore the right to an education.
The event, "Denied the Right to Learn: Educational Continuity, Human Rights and Human Security in Afghanistan," also drew speakers from Human Rights Watch and UNICEF, along with Afghan students who joined from inside the country on weak connections.
Rapid decline following Taliban take-over
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 as United States forces completed their withdrawal. Within weeks, girls were barred from returning to secondary school. In December 2022, universities were closed to women as well.
The Taliban's then education minister, Nida Mohammad Nadim, defended that decision at the time, saying women had failed to observe strict dress requirements and that certain fields of study did not fit Afghan tradition. "Girls should learn, but not in areas that go against Islam and Afghan honor," he told an Afghan broadcaster, according to reporting by The Associated Press. He said universities would reopen for women once the concerns were addressed. They have not.
Further restrictions followed: on employment, on travel without a male relative, on public parks, gyms and bathhouses.
Improvised education
Anar Academy, based in Germany, gathered its responses in the second half of March 2026 from 30 provinces, with most respondents inside Afghanistan and a smaller group who had left. Poya said the picture that emerged was not one of empty days but of improvised ones.
Girls have turned to language classes, tailoring and skills courses, and above all to whatever can be delivered over a phone, she said. Some reported no learning at all.
Nearly all respondents said they had a phone or laptop. Far fewer said their connection was dependable. Online study keeps a rhythm going, Poya said — contact with a teacher, subjects to work through, other students to talk to — but it produces no diploma, no route into a university, and no guarantee of a quiet or private place to sit and work at home.
She pointed to consequences that reach well past the syllabus. Learners described stalled futures, shrinking social contact and steady psychological strain. The effects touch household income, health and dignity, she said, not only schooling.
Poya asked that the persistence documented in the survey not be misread as a sign that the situation is tolerable. Resilience, she said, "is not evidence of adequacy. It's evidence of agency."
Anar Academy's recommendations begin with the unconditional reopening of secondary schools and universities to girls and women. Beyond that, Poya called for safeguards protecting online learners' privacy and safety; recognition by universities abroad of accredited online study, including transcripts and admission pathways; and funding committed over several years rather than in short grants. She noted that respondents were reached through the internet, so the survey speaks for connected learners rather than for the country as a whole.
The briefing paper is the first of a planned series. Anar Academy and ISHR intend to track the same questions over time.
'It will not stay in Afghanistan'
Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher in the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, addressed the event by pre-recorded video.
Afghanistan has signed both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the convention on discrimination against women, Abbasi said, and the Taliban as de facto authorities are bound by those commitments. She described the education ban as one part of a wider pattern that Human Rights Watch identified in a September 2023 report as the crime against humanity of gender persecution. The organization called on the International Criminal Court to investigate; the court issued arrest warrants for Taliban leaders on gender persecution charges last year.
Abbasi warned against treating the situation as ordinary. "What is happening in Afghanistan will not stay in Afghanistan," she said, arguing that the rollback of women's rights in one country weakens them everywhere.
The women affected are not an abstraction, she said. Some were months from finishing school in August 2021; others were already teaching or earning. Many now live with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
Abbasi set out a series of steps for governments and United Nations bodies, from humanitarian funding to accountability mechanisms. But her closing appeal was aimed at what individuals can do: Talk about Afghan women and girls, she said, and do not let the rest of the world forget them.
Education among wider decline in human rights
The restrictions on education sit within a broader legal shift. Christian Daily International reported in February, republishing coverage from The Christian Post, that the Taliban's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, had signed a new criminal procedure code that divides Afghan society into ranked categories and prescribes different punishments for the same offence depending on a person's status.
Legal analysts and rights groups quoted in that reporting said the code's language distinguishing free persons from slaves amounts to treating slavery as a lawful category, and that it strips out basic protections such as access to a lawyer.
United Nations officials described the code as part of a system of gender apartheid.
A rights crisis and a learning crisis
Tomoko Shibuya, senior adviser for education at UNICEF, joined from Nairobi and set the survey findings against national figures. UNICEF estimates that 3.8 million girls aged 7 to 18 were out of school in 2024, including more than 2.6 million adolescents, she said.
She added a second problem that receives less attention. A 2025 assessment found that 93% of Afghan children, boys as well as girls, cannot read and understand a simple age-appropriate sentence by the end of primary school. Afghanistan, in Shibuya's words, is dealing with a rights crisis and a learning crisis at the same time.
That combination matters for what comes next, she said. Girls pushed into informal study have often had only a few years of foundational schooling to build on, which limits how far self-directed learning can carry them.
Shibuya cautioned against admiring the resilience without acting on it. "Girls should not have to shoulder the risk and responsibility of their education," she said.
Only the de facto authorities can lift the ban, she said. In the meantime, she set out three priorities: Afghan-led community learning spaces that include psychosocial support and practical skills; investment in early and primary education so children gain at least seven years of solid schooling; and digital learning designed for low bandwidth and offline use, so that poor connectivity does not exclude girls a second time.
Marco Mantovanelli of the Global Partnership for Education addressed the financing side, noting that education has historically received only a small share of humanitarian funding worldwide — roughly 2% to 4% — and that continuity cannot be sustained on short grants. His organization works through partner agencies on the ground rather than through the Taliban administration, he said, directing funds to community-based and remedial classes.
Boehning closed by asking Poya what keeps her from concluding that Afghanistan's girls are a lost generation. Poya, who completed a master's degree before the restrictions and now lives in Germany with two young children, said she treats the education she received as an obligation to those denied it. Her students, she said, should not be left with the impression that no one is on their side.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Muslim shoots Christian woman to death in Pakistan]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/muslim-shoots-christian-woman-to-death-in-pakistan</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/muslim-shoots-christian-woman-to-death-in-pakistan</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International / Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Body of Saba Mehboob after Sept. 3, 2026 shooting.]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Tariq Chaman for Christian Daily International-Morning Star News ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Body of Saba Mehboob after Sept. 3, 2026 shooting. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:51:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A married, 21-year-old Christian woman was shot dead inside her home in Rawalpindi last week by a Muslim neighbor whose advances she had rejected, reflecting an attitude among many Pakistan Muslims that crimes against Christians will go unpunished, sources said.]]></description>
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A married, 21-year-old Christian woman was shot dead inside her home in Rawalpindi last week by a Muslim neighbor whose advances she had rejected, reflecting an attitude among many Pakistani Muslims that crimes against Christians will go unpunished, sources said.
Saba Mehboob, who separated from her husband a year ago, was shot in the forehead at about 9 p.m. on Thursday (Sept. 3), after the alleged assailant, Adnan Butt, entered the house in Dhoke Ratta locality with a pistol, according to her brother, Joshua Mehboob. The suspect then abducted her teenage stepbrother and pressured him to falsely confess to the killing, according to the victim’s family.
Joshua Mehboob, a member of a local Full Gospel Assemblies church, said Butt accused his sister of dishonoring him before shooting her in front of her 16-year-old stepbrother, Anoosh.
“According to Anoosh, he and his paternal uncles, Michael and Nomi, were in a room when Butt suddenly entered with Saba, loudly abusing her,” Mehboob said. “He pointed his pistol at Michael and Nomi and ordered them to leave. He then slapped Saba repeatedly while shouting that she had dishonored him and been disloyal to him.”
Butt then shot Saba in the forehead, killing her instantly, Mehboob said.
Butt subsequently forced Anoosh outside at gunpoint, where another man was waiting on a motorcycle, according to Mehboob. The two men allegedly took the teenager to the home of Butt’s brother-in-law, where several other people were present.
Mehboob said the men threatened to kill Anoosh if he told police that Butt had killed his sister and pressured the adolescent to confess to the murder.
“Anoosh was kept in their custody until about 5 p.m. on Sept. 4,” Mehboob said. “Meanwhile, Butt also threatened Anoosh’s father and other family members with death if they registered a case against him.”
He said Anoosh was released after his father and uncles agreed not to file a police complaint.
After his release, Anoosh went with relatives to the district headquarters hospital to receive his sister’s body, Mehboob said. Police arrived there to record his statement and, after hearing his account, asked him to become the complainant in the case, he said. Police subsequently took Anoosh and his father into protective custody, according to Mehboob.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered, but Butt later obtained pre-arrest bail from a court, he said.
Mehboob alleged that Butt had been harassing and threatening Saba Mehboob for some time. He said she twice had slapped him after he blocked her way in a market.
“I think Saba’s rejection fueled his anger, leading him to murder her,” he said.
Saba Mehboob’s killing prompted a protest in Dhoke Ratta, where Christian and Muslim residents reportedly called for Butt’s arrest.
Rawalpindi-based journalist Tariq Chaman said members of Saba Mehboob’s family and local residents alleged that police were pressuring Anoosh to accept responsibility for his sister’s death.
“Police have denied the allegations and said the teenage boy is being kept in custody for his protection,” Chaman said. “His father has also been kept with him because the boy is a minor.”
The family and local elders are demanding the release of Anoosh and his father and calling for the investigation to be transferred from Dhoke Ratta police station to a senior police officer, Chaman said. His sources indicated that additional circumstances surrounding the case could emerge as the investigation progresses and potentially affect the direction of the murder inquiry.
“Local sources have claimed that Butt and his family have criminal histories, and it’s possible that the victim’s family may succumb to their pressure at some stage,” Chaman said.
Human rights advocates have long raised concerns about the vulnerability of religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly in cases involving sexual violence, forced conversion and allegations of blasphemy. Rights groups have also documented cases in which victims or their families face intimidation and pressure to settle disputes outside the formal justice system.
Mehboob told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that his sister was one of five children born to his mother from her first marriage to Mehboob Masih. After Masih died several years ago, their mother remarried Yaqoob Masih and had five more children with him, including Anoosh.
Saba Mehboob married Zeeshan Mehmood about six years ago, but she separated from him more than a year ago because of his severe drug addiction and moved back to live with their mother in Dhoke Ratta with her two daughters, Joshua Mehboob said.
Open Doors, a Christian organization that monitors persecution, ranked Pakistan eighth in its 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the greatest difficulty. The organization cited systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversion and weaknesses in law enforcement among the factors contributing to risks faced by Christians in Pakistan.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Killer of Graham Staines and sons seeks early release from prison]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/killer-of-graham-staines-and-sons-seeks-early-release-from-prison</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/killer-of-graham-staines-and-sons-seeks-early-release-from-prison</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Surinder Kaur]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Mahendra Hembram is garlanded as Hindus in India celebrate his release from prison on April 16, 2025.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Screenshot of YouTube video ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Mahendra Hembram is garlanded as Hindus in India celebrate his release from prison on April 16, 2025. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[More than 25 years after her husband and two sons were burned alive by a Hindu nationalist mob in India, Gladys Staines is again speaking of forgiveness even as the Odisha state government is pressured to decide on release from prison of the primary convict in the case.]]></description>
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More than 25 years after her husband and two sons were burned alive by a Hindu nationalist mob in India, Gladys Staines is again speaking of forgiveness even as the Odisha state government is pressured to decide on release from prison of the primary convict in the case.
The Supreme Court of India has pressed the state government to rule on the remission plea for early release by Rabindra Kumar Pal, better known as Dara Singh, the primary convict in the killing of Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons, Philip, 10 and Timothy, 6, in rural Odisha state.
In a statement sent to Christian Daily International in response to queries about the upcoming hearing, Staines said she had heard reports of the proceedings concerning Singh’s possible release.
“Continuing to follow Jesus’ teaching and example, I continue to forgive,” she said, reiterating what she had first stated in 2003: “I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness, because forgiveness brings healing and our land needs healing,” and “God in Christ has forgiven me and expects his followers to do the same.”
In her statement to Christian Daily International, she added that she had “no comments regarding the law taking its own course” and did not plan to make any further statement, either now or after the hearing.
According to the Supreme Court’s official case status records for Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 301/2024, Rabindra Kumar Pal @ Dara Singh vs. State of Odisha & Anr., the matter was listed again on Sept. 2, as directed by the bench earlier.
The Sept. 2 hearing was heard by a partially reconstituted bench, with Justice Manmohan sitting alongside Justice Manoj Misra in place of Justice Vijay Bishnoi. Attorney Vishnu Shankar Jain appeared for Singh alongside his existing counsel, though the order itself records no reasoning beyond listing the matter for Sept. 8.
Supreme Court Hearing
Dara Singh filed his remission plea for premature release before the Supreme Court in 2024, after spending more than 26 years in prison.
The matter has been adjourned repeatedly since then to allow the Odisha government time to decide on his plea, which is examined by the State Sentence Review Board before any recommendation is forwarded to the government for final approval.
At a hearing on Aug. 19, the bench recorded that the matter had “been adjourned time and again to enable the respondents to take a decision on the plea of remission,” and that Singh had by then been incarcerated for “a period exceeding 26 years.”
The bench noted that when the case was last adjourned, the Sentence Review Board was said to be in the process of deciding on Singh’s plea. Appearing for the state, attorney P.V. Yogeswaran placed before the court a letter from the Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Services, Odisha, stating that a report from the district jail in Kendujhar (Keonjhar) was yet to be received.
“We are not informed about the decision of the Sentence Review Board,” the bench recorded in its order, directing that the matter be listed again on Sept. 2, “by which date, Sentence Review Board shall take a decision and apprise us about the decision.”
Beyond the written order, media reports of the oral courtroom exchange quoted the bench as telling the state’s counsel, “You take a decision, whichever way you want. If you do not take a decision, then we will,” and separately remarking, “We cannot tolerate this avoidance of decision.” These lines were reportedly spoken in court but do not appear in the bench’s signed order.
The Aug. 19 hearing also saw high-level representation from both sides: Additional Solicitors General K.M. Nataraj and Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar and Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya appeared for the respondents, while Singh was represented by attorneys including A.P. Singh and V.P. Singh.
Court records also show that Singh has separately sought permission to appear and argue his case in person, and that a third party has filed an application seeking to intervene in the proceedings, though the case file does not specify the grounds for that request.
Manoharpur Killings
Graham Staines came to India in 1965, joining the Evangelical Missionary Society’s leprosy mission in Mayurbhanj, Odisha state, at that time called Orissa state.
The mission itself dated back to 1895, when the king of Mayurbhanj invited missionaries to the region, including Sri Rama Chandra Bhanja Deo, who was particularly invested in eradicating leprosy after his own daughter contracted the disease. Gladys reached Mayurbhanj in 1981 to serve as a missionary with Operation Mobilization, and it was there that she met Graham Staines; the two wed two years later. Their work extended beyond the leprosy home to include ministry at local churches and organizing Christian camps in the region.
Staines’ service was maligned as “converting tribals to Christianity” by the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal, including Dara Singh, who himself had moved to Odisha from Uttar Pradesh state in 1989.
According to a letter Mahendra Hembram, one of the convicts in the case, wrote to his sister-in-law Kapura Tudu after the murders, he confessed that he along with Dara Singh burned the “Jisu, [Jesus].” Courts have clarified that Hembram’s use of the “Jisu” epithet was his way of referring to the Christian missionary.
Hembram mentioned that they were enraged over villagers “eating beef,” blaming it on Staines, and over the missionaries distributing sanitary pads and bras among tribal residents.
Beef (cow meat) formed part of the traditional Santal diet long before any missionary presence in the region. Nabendu Datta-Majumder in his1956 study, under the Department of Anthropology, printed by the Government of India Press, Calcutta, titled, “The Santal: A Study in Culture-Change,” records that cows and bullocks were among the domestic animals that “enter the Santal dietary,” their meat eaten alongside that of fowls, pigs, goats and buffaloes, typically killed on the occasion of social and religious festivals.
Central to this practice was a ritual called kutam dangra, in which a cow was sacrificed to the deity Orak’ Bonga and an ox to Marang Buru.
Datta-Majumder’s fieldwork, however, documents that this custom had already begun to erode under Hindu influence well before any Christian missionary contact: in some regions he studied, kutam dangra was “not performed...because of the influence of Hindu belief which forbids cows to be killed,” and elsewhere he notes that as the Hindu goddess Kali was absorbed into the local Santal pantheon, older festivals faded and “the sacrifice of cows has likewise disappeared.”
Tensions came to a head in January 1999, when Staines, his two sons, and several other Christians organized a five-day church camp in the jungles of Manoharpur village in Keonjhar District. On the night of Jan. 22, 1999, Staines and his sons Philip and Timothy were sleeping in their jeep, parked in front of a small church in the village, after attending the camp. A mob allegedly led by Dara Singh and Hembram surrounded the vehicle.
A retired police officer who was posted in Keonjhar at the time told media that the mob accused Staines of promoting religious conversion, assaulted him and his children, and forced them back inside the van despite Staines’s pleas for mercy. The attackers then poured kerosene on the vehicle and set it alight, shouting the slogans, “Jai Bajrang Bali [Victory to the Hindu deity Hanuman]” and “Dara Singh Zindabad [Long live Dara Singh]” and burning the father and his two sons to death.
The killings drew global condemnation and became one of the most widely reported instances of anti-Christian violence in India.
Investigation and Trial
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation initially arrested 51 people in connection with the killings. Over the years, courts acquitted all but three of the accused: Hembram, Dara Singh and Sudarshan Hansda, alias Chanchu, who was a minor at the time of the crime.
On Sept. 22, 2003, a special CBI court in Bhubaneswar handed Dara Singh a death sentence and imposed life terms on 12 co-accused, including Hembram. The Orissa High Court later acquitted 11 of those convicts, upholding sentences only for Dara Singh and Hembram. On May 19, 2005, the High Court commuted Dara Singh’s death sentence to life imprisonment while maintaining Hembram’s life term.
The Supreme Court upheld the commuted sentence in 2011.
Sudarshan Hansda was just 13 when he joined the mob that killed Staines and his sons and served nearly a decade in juvenile detention for it. He was released in 2008 after serving about nine and a half years for good behavior.
In April 2025, at age 39, he was baptized as a Baptist Christian, saying the decision was entirely his own, a search for peace after a string of personal tragedies, including the deaths of his parents, sisters, first wife, and infant son, led him to the local Baptist church in Manoharpur, the very village where Staines had worked.
Forgiveness and Honors
In the aftermath of the killings, Gladys Staines publicly forgave her husband’s and sons’ killers and chose to remain in India, returning to run the leprosy home where Staines had served. Her statement of forgiveness, first made in 2003, has since become closely associated with her public identity in India.
In 2005, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honors, in recognition of her social service work; she was one of only two foreign nationals to receive the award that year, the other being author and former BBC correspondent Mark Tully.
In 2015, the Harmony Foundation conferred on her the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice for her continued work with leprosy-affected communities in Odisha.
Staines eventually returned to Australia, though her legacy, and that of her husband, continues in the village where they once lived and worked.
Hembram’s Release 
The case returned to public attention in April 2025, when Odisha authorities released Mahendra Hembram from Keonjhar jail after 25 years on grounds of good conduct.
Hembram, now 52, was arrested on Dec. 9, 1999, months after the killings, while Dara Singh, who had remained on the run, was arrested on Jan. 31, 2000. Authorities lodged the two convicts in separate cells in Keonjhar jail for the following 25 years.
Upon his release, Hembram maintained his innocence, telling reporters, “I was innocent. But still I was in jail for the last 25 years.”
Hembram, who is associated with Bajrang Dal, walked out of the jail to a celebratory welcome, with supporters garlanding him and chanting “Jai Shri Ram [Hail! lord Rama].”
The joint secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Council of Hindus, a Hindu nationalist organization], attorney Kedar Dash, welcomed the release, saying, “It is a good day for us. We welcome the government’s decision.”
The reception drew sharp criticism from sections of the Christian community. John Dayal, an activist and spokesman for the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, told Christianity Today that Hembram’s release amounted to a convicted killer being “quietly merged into civil life after a long stay in jail.”
Christianity Today’s report noted that authorities had, over time, shortened the sentences of all the convicts in the case, which some observers see as reflecting a broader trend of Hindu nationalism in the country.
Odisha’s prison department also released 30 other convicts on the same day as Hembram, citing the state’s premature release policy for prisoners who had served between 14 and 25 years for murder.
Officials said the state’s 2022 guidelines require life convicts to serve a minimum of 14 years before remission is considered, with serious murder cases requiring 20 to 25 years, and additional age-based considerations for convicts above 60 for women and 65 for men.
Under this policy, the State Sentence Review Board examines inputs from district collectors and superintendents of police before forwarding its recommendations to the government, which grants final approval after clearance from the governor and the chief minister’s office.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[FEBC breaks ground on Phnom Penh ministry center after Cambodia broadcast expansion]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/febc-breaks-ground-on-phnom-penh-ministry-center-after-cambodia-broadcast-expansion</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/febc-breaks-ground-on-phnom-penh-ministry-center-after-cambodia-broadcast-expansion</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A groundbreaking ceremony in Phnom Penh marks the start of construction on a new FEBC ministry center for Voice of Love Cambodia, which will house radio, podcast and video production studios.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ FEBC ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A groundbreaking ceremony in Phnom Penh marks the start of construction on a new FEBC ministry center for Voice of Love Cambodia, which will house radio, podcast and video production studios. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:37:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Far East Broadcasting Company has begun construction on a ministry center in the Cambodian capital that will house studios for radio, podcast and video production, the broadcaster said in an announcement on Sept. 1.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Far East Broadcasting Company has begun construction on a ministry center in the Cambodian capital that will house studios for radio, podcast and video production, the broadcaster said in an announcement on Sept. 1.
Staff, ministry partners and board members gathered at the site for a groundbreaking and prayer ceremony, FEBC said. The building will serve Voice of Love, the organization's Cambodian ministry, and construction is expected to take roughly 12 to 15 months.
The project follows a broadcast expansion completed last year. A new tower and transmitter that entered service in mid-2025 gave FEBC the potential to reach about 80% of Cambodia's population by radio, the organization said. The center is intended to build on that reach by adding production capacity for streaming, digital audio and video, and by providing space to meet listeners in person.
"This is about much more than constructing a building," said Ed Cannon, president and CEO of FEBC USA. "Radio remains an extraordinarily important part of how we reach people, but today we also have opportunities through streaming, social media, podcasts, video and personal relationships that our founders could never have imagined."
Plans for the facility include expanded production space for both traditional broadcasting and audio and video podcasts. The ground floor is to include meeting rooms where FEBC can receive listeners, run conferences and training sessions, and make space available to partner organizations.
FEBC described the meeting space as central to how it wants to work in Cambodia — connecting listeners with local believers and churches and creating occasions for people to respond in person, rather than relying on broadcast alone.
"Our desire is to be close to the listener," said Samphal Makara, national ministry director for FEBC Cambodia. "With the new tower, we can reach more people across Cambodia. With this new Ministry Center, we will have the space and technology to serve those listeners in new ways."
The organization said the project was financed by donors, with Northwestern Media providing engineering and technical consultation along with financial support. Scott Jones of Northwestern Media said in the announcement that the combination of engineering work and technology would help the Cambodian team "reach and serve more people for generations to come." No construction cost was disclosed.
Construction is taking place during FEBC's 80th anniversary year. The organization was founded in 1946 and now distributes programming through terrestrial radio, digital audio, streaming, social media and video. Comparable expansion projects are in discussion or design stages in other countries where FEBC operates, according to the broadcaster, which did not name them.
"The technology will continue to change," Cannon said. "There will undoubtedly be ways of communicating 10 or 20 years from now that we cannot even imagine today. We want to build facilities and equip our national teams so they are ready to use those platforms when they arrive."]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Lawmakers in Pakistan’s Punjab seek equal religious education opportunities for minority prisoners]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/lawmakers-in-pakistans-punjab-seek-equal-religious-education-opportunities-for-minority-prisoners</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[File photo of the Punjab Assembly building in Lahore, where lawmakers are expected to table proposed legislation aimed at protecting minority communal properties.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ File photo of the Punjab Assembly building in Lahore, Pakistan. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:14:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Christian rights activists have welcomed a resolution adopted by the Punjab Provincial Assembly calling for equal opportunities for prisoners from religious minorities to receive religious education, take examinations and qualify for sentence remission.]]></description>
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Christian rights activists have welcomed a resolution adopted by the Punjab Provincial Assembly calling for equal opportunities for prisoners from religious minorities to receive religious education, take examinations and qualify for sentence remission.
The resolution, moved by treasury member Raheela Khadim Hussain and adopted by majority vote on Tuesday (Sept. 1), cited Rule 215 of the Punjab Prison Rules 1978, under which prisoners may receive remission in their sentences for acquiring religious education in accordance with the law.
Official data cited in the resolution showed that 2,558 Muslim prisoners benefited from sentence remission after completing religious education between 2020 and 2025. The resolution called for effective implementation of a similar system for prisoners belonging to minority faiths.
It said Christian, Hindu, Sikh and other minority prisoners should be given equal opportunities to study their respective religious curricula, sit examinations and receive sentence remission after successfully completing their studies.
Christian organizations and prison ministries have criticized Pakistan’s religious-education-based remission system, saying that although prison rules provide for minority prisoners to benefit, the provisions have not been implemented effectively.
The Lahore-based Center for Social Justice reported that Punjab granted sentence remission to 1,653 Muslim prisoners for Quranic study between 2022 and 2024, while no minority prisoner received comparable remission during the same period. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 284 Muslim prisoners received remission between 2023 and 2025, with no recorded beneficiaries from minority communities, according to the organization’s 2025 Human Rights Observer Report.
Safdar Choudhry of the Raah-e-Nijaat prison ministry welcomed the Punjab Assembly resolution, saying minority inclusion was already provided for under prison rules but remained weak in practice.
“A 2008 amendment to the Pakistan Prison Rules expanded the remission framework to include minority religious texts, recognizing that non-Muslim prisoners could qualify for sentence reductions through the study of their sacred scriptures,” Choudhry told Christian Daily International.
He said Punjab’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department approved a Bible-based syllabus in 2023 consisting of five units. Under the framework, prisoners can earn remission of between 15 and 60 days per unit over a five-year period, for a maximum of 180 days, he said.
Choudhry expressed hope that the resolution would prompt the prison authorities to address gaps in policy and implementation and ensure that existing provisions are applied equally.
He said the Pakistan Bible Correspondence School had submitted a prison curriculum developed in consultation with the Catholic Church, the Church of Pakistan, Presbyterian churches and the Salvation Army.
“The courses in Urdu language are in a simple format using objective questions and fill-in-the-blank exercises to make them accessible for Christian inmates,” he said. “We hope that the prison authorities will now appoint instructors to teach those courses.”
A significant challenge, however, is illiteracy among a majority of non-Muslim prisoners, Choudhry said.
“Several minority prisoners are illiterate and must first receive basic education before pursuing formal or religious studies,” he said.
A study published in the Journal of Asian Development Studies reported that 1,588 minority prisoners were held in 45 Punjab prisons as of March 2025. Of those, 1,315 were under trial, 232 had been convicted, 34 were unconfirmed condemned prisoners and seven were confirmed death-row inmates.
More recent data from the Punjab Inspectorate of Prisons, through April 2026, recorded 1,075 minority prisoners, including 1,034 Christians, 38 Hindus and three Sikhs.
The June 2025 study said that, with the exception of Punjab, federal and provincial authorities had failed to approve curricula for minority religious education for decades, limiting prisoners’ ability to benefit from provisions allowing sentence remission based on religious education and improved conduct.
“The provinces were sufficiently empowered to make their rules to implement all remedies that were available to the majority of prisoners. Hence, there is no excuse for continued discriminatory attitudes towards minority prisoners,” the study said.
The study also pointed to differences in the remission provisions available to Muslim and minority prisoners.
Punjab’s prison policies provide special remission for Muslim prisoners who regularly perform prayers and observe fasting during Ramadan, in addition to other forms of religious-study-related remission, according to the study.
It said Rule 215(vii) allows prisoners belonging to minority religions, including Hindus, Christians and Sikhs, to qualify for remission by reading and understanding their respective religious texts, including the Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Guru Granth Sahib. They can receive up to six months’ remission, it said.
However, the study noted that special remission for religious observance is available to Muslim prisoners but does not have an equivalent provision for minority prisoners, creating an unequal system of incentives.
In Sindh, the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Service Act 2019 provides various forms of remission related to religious study. The study said Muslim prisoners can receive remission for learning to read the Quran, understanding Islamic teachings and memorizing the Quran, with the potential remission varying according to the level of achievement.
It also noted that Hindu and Christian prisoners may receive three months’ remission for reading the Bhagavad Gita or Bible, respectively, but said there was no structured or approved curriculum for minority prisoners equivalent to that available for Muslim inmates.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Prison Rules 2018 provide remission to prisoners who pass examinations on the meanings of the Quran and Islamic fundamentals. The study said non-Muslim prisoners could also sit examinations on their respective holy books and religious fundamentals to qualify for remission.
The rules also provide additional remission for Muslim prisoners who memorize the Quran or learn its translation, as well as special remission linked to regular prayers and fasting during Ramadan, according to the study.
The researchers recommended that prison authorities provide basic literacy education to minority prisoners so they can take advantage of opportunities for formal and religious education.
They also urged prison departments across Pakistan to regularly collect and publish updated data on sentence remission by religious affiliation to monitor equality and identify disparities.
The study further recommended amending provincial prison rules to provide equivalent remission for non-Muslim prisoners who observe their religious practices, including fasting during periods such as Lent for Christians and Navratri for Hindus, and attending regular prayers.
It also called for religious-study-based remission to be made equivalent for prisoners of all faiths, including opportunities to read, memorize and demonstrate an understanding of their respective sacred texts.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Rights record in Pakistan jeopardizes trade status, EU official says]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/rights-record-in-pakistan-jeopardizes-trade-status-eu-official-says</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International / Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[EU Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Screenshot from Voicepk.net podcast ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ EU Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:15:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Pakistan’s continued access to a lucrative European Union trade preference could be jeopardized if Islamabad fails to demonstrate meaningful progress in protecting human rights, including the rights of religious minorities, the EU ambassador to Pakistan warned.]]></description>
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Pakistan’s continued access to a lucrative European Union trade preference could be jeopardized if Islamabad fails to demonstrate meaningful progress in protecting human rights, including the rights of religious minorities, the EU ambassador to Pakistan warned.
Raimundas Karoblis said on Monday (Aug. 31) that Pakistan’s continuation in the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) beyond 2029 was uncertain with the implementation of United Nations human rights conventions likely to be a decisive factor in the country’s reapplication.
“It is not certain and it is not guaranteed,” Karoblis stressed in a podcast with journalist Munizae Jahangir available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGkeG0z3IbE)
“It depends on the level of implementation of the U.N. conventions,” he said. “One of the preconditions within the present GSP+ scheme and the future scheme is the absence of a serious failure in implementing the U.N. conventions. This is based, first of all, on the conclusions of the U.N. monitoring bodies.”
The comments come as religious freedom advocates continue to raise concerns about Pakistan’s treatment of Christians and other religious minorities, particularly in cases involving blasphemy allegations, forced conversions, child marriage, attacks on places of worship and discrimination in law and practice.
Under the current GSP+ arrangement, Pakistan receives extensive tariff preferences for exports to the EU, with the benefits estimated at around 732 million euros. The textile sector is among the major beneficiaries. The scheme links preferential trade access to implementation of international conventions on human rights, labor rights, environmental protection, climate change and good governance.
For Pakistan, which has ratified the 27 conventions required under the current GSP+ framework, the key issue in the coming years will therefore be implementation rather than ratification.
“All of the conventions have been ratified by Pakistan,” Karoblis said. “From a legal point of view, the first condition is therefore fulfilled. But now, particularly with the new scheme, the emphasis will be exactly on implementation. I mentioned already that the government will need to present an action plan with concrete measures for implementing or improving the implementation of the U.N. conventions. It will also need concrete timeframes and concrete performance indicators. So, indeed, implementation is really important.”
Under the proposed future system, the number of conventions will rise from 27 to 32. Karoblis said Pakistan had already ratified all of them. He stressed that the EU would consider not only future commitments but Pakistan’s existing record. The ambassador also specified, however, that if Pakistan does not reapply for GSP+, or fails to meet the conditions for the scheme, it would revert to ordinary GSP rather than lose all preferential trade treatment.
Under ordinary GSP, tariffs would remain approximately 30 percent lower than conventional tariffs applied to countries such as China and the United States, although they would be higher than under GSP+.
Religious Minorities among EU ‘Red Zones’
Karoblis identified minority rights as one of the principal areas where Pakistan had experienced regression despite progress in some other areas since the introduction of GSP+ in 2014.
“For example, there has been a reduction in the scope of the death penalty, a de facto moratorium on executions, implementation of legislation on torture, child marriage laws, and the strengthening of institutions responsible for human rights, such as the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) and the role of the Ministry of Law and Justice, among others,” he said. “But together with that, there has also been regression in some elements of human rights. The main areas of concern are enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, freedom of expression, the rights of journalists, and minority rights.”
The ambassador said the EU’s assessment drew on its July 2026 GSP+ report, findings by U.N. monitoring bodies and discussions with other stakeholders. He said these sources had raised “serious doubts” about Pakistan’s effective implementation of some of the conventions.
“In order to achieve a positive result with the reapplication, progress is therefore needed in precisely these areas,” he said.
Karoblis emphasized that the EU was not demanding that Pakistan adopt European standards.
“We are not talking about European-level standards or commitments. Nobody and nothing is perfect. But, of course, we expect a certain level of implementation,” he said.
Blasphemy Cases Concern
Karoblis said the EU had welcomed efforts by Pakistan’s government to reduce the number of blasphemy cases from the peak reached several years ago.
He also pointed to court decisions in Islamabad and Sindh Province that resulted in more than 100 people being released on bail. The situation in Punjab Provinice, however, remained a major concern, he said, with around 500 people, including young people, still affected by blasphemy-related cases.
Blasphemy accusations have frequently targeted Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan. Rights advocates have repeatedly warned that accusations can arise from personal disputes and can place entire minority communities at risk of mob violence, forced displacement and attacks on churches and homes.
Karoblis also raised concerns over groups he described as “blasphemy gangs.”
“But what we hear is that they are still active. Certain credible guarantees are necessary so that this kind of provocation should not work anymore.”
Karoblis singled out the treatment of the minority Ahmadi community as another serious issue.
“The situation of the Ahmadi community is a major concern. Ahmadis are also citizens of Pakistan, and their rights should also be respected,” he said, urging protection of their physical security, places of worship and other rights.
The EU is also discussing issues concerning registration of marriages and documentation with Pakistan’s government, he said, although “there is not yet anything concrete.”
The ambassador said the matter should be addressed positively “sooner rather than later” and no later than Pakistan’s GSP+ reapplication period.
Although Christians and Ahmadis face different legal and social circumstances in Pakistan, religious freedom advocates have long pointed to the broader problem of laws and practices that leave religious minorities vulnerable to discrimination, violence and abuse.
Child Marriage and Forced Conversion
The EU envoy also cited child marriage legislation among the areas in which Pakistan had made progress.
“For example, there has been a reduction in the scope of the death penalty, a de facto moratorium on executions, implementation of legislation on torture, child marriage laws, and the strengthening of institutions responsible for human rights, such as the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) and the role of the Ministry of Law and Justice, among others,” he said.
The implementation of child marriage laws has particular significance for Pakistan’s religious minorities because rights advocates have repeatedly documented cases in which minority girls are allegedly abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to older Muslim men. Advocates have argued that existing legal and institutional weaknesses can make it difficult for families to secure the recovery of minor girls and obtain effective legal remedies.
Karoblis said the EU expected Pakistan to demonstrate concrete implementation of its international commitments rather than simply maintain them on paper.
Freedom of expression and journalists’ rights were also among the ambassador’s areas of concern.
Karoblis cited the “letter” and implementation of amendments to Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), Punjab’s defamation laws and aspects of counterterrorism legislation.
“These are issues which really should be addressed in order to change the situation, make progress and tackle the challenges journalists face today,” he said.
Forced Disappearances
Karoblis said the EU had consistently raised concerns about forced disappearances and arbitrary detention with Pakistan. He acknowledged, however, the government’s argument that Pakistan faces a serious security threat.
“The first response is that we are in a specific security situation, which is true,” he said. “Pakistan ranks number one on the Global Terrorism Index. But our view is that even in this situation, human rights conventions and guarantees should be applied. We are not saying that the government should not fight against terrorism. But basic rights, such as the right of defense and the right of access to families, should be protected.”
He said perpetrators should be held accountable and called for enhanced monitoring of cases involving alleged enforced disappearances.
“There should also be enhanced monitoring of cases involving enforced disappearances, for example. These are elements which, in our view, are manageable and should be implemented,” he said. “So far, speaking with different stakeholders, the answers are slightly different in tone. But the question is really up to the government to decide whether, because of its position on security, it wants to move on this issue and in which direction.
“We very much expect, and we explain to all stakeholders, that this is one of the essential areas where we really need progress.”
The EU envoy also raised concerns about judicial proceedings, including military trials of civilians and the treatment of political opponents in detention. Karoblis said the EU was raising political pluralism, the rule of law and human rights in its dialogue with Pakistan.
“Political pluralism is one of the issues which we are raising in our human rights dialogues, in the specific subgroup on democracy, rule of law and human rights,” he said. “In these cases, the same as with the majority of other cases involving people who are in prison, we are looking primarily at issues such as conditions of imprisonment, conditions relating to torture, for example. We are also looking at issues concerning the right of defense and similar matters.”
He stressed that the EU was not attempting to determine the guilt or innocence of individuals in particular cases.
“Only the court should make the decision as to whether this person is guilty or not guilty, and I hope that in this case also the court will make a proper and justified verdict, one way or another,” he said.
On the trial of civilians in military courts, Karoblis said Pakistan’s security concerns were recognized but questioned whether such measures were proportionate. He linked the issue to Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICCPR), which provides fair trial guarantees.
“It is really up to experts to look at this in more detail,” he said.
Karoblis rejected the suggestion that Pakistan’s growing diplomatic role, including its efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran and its engagement on Gaza, could provide Islamabad with political leverage in the GSP+ process.
“We very much appreciate the leadership of Pakistan in this mediation,” he said, but stressed that the GSP+ process was based on objective criteria and assessments by experts and U.N. monitoring bodies.
“Political influence to affect the process positively or to provide a push is very limited,” he said.
The message from Brussels, therefore, is that Pakistan’s diplomatic importance will not substitute for progress on human rights, he added.
Afghan Refugees 
The ambassador called for protection of Afghan refugees who would face danger if returned to Afghanistan.
“Afghan refugees have lived in Pakistan for 40 years and have been quite integrated into society,” he said. “I don’t see that they have created an additional burden for Pakistan. On the contrary, they have contributed significantly to GDP.”
Those who are eligible for international protection, for whom it is dangerous to return to Afghanistan, and vulnerable groups, should be protected, he said.
“Our expectation is that special care should be given to these categories of people. Deportation should not take place in such cases,” he said. “For other Afghans, their movement should, of course, be organized, carried out with dignity, and with guarantees concerning their property and other rights.”
Karoblis said that although Pakistan had not ratified all refugee-related conventions, the principle of non-refoulement remained binding. The ambassador ultimately framed the EU’s human rights concerns as extending beyond the GSP+ mechanism itself.
Asked why the EU was concerned about Pakistan’s treatment of its most vulnerable citizens, he said, “We are not talking about European-level standards, but about the United Nations conventions on human rights.”
“The economy and society cannot be prosperous if people are not free, and human rights are actually one of the essential elements,” he said. “It has also been proven by practice in all EU countries and in Europe in general. Of course, we are one of the promoters of human rights, but Pakistan is also a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The question, of course, is about implementation, and about vulnerable people. Once again, I repeat that society cannot be prosperous if a person is not free and if he or she does not enjoy the basic rights that constitute human rights.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Pakistan’s PM honors Christian nurse who risked her life to save infant]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pakistans-pm-honors-christian-nurse-who-risked-her-life-to-save-infant</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hands a check of 10 million Pakistani rupees ($36,000) to Christian Staff Nurse Razia Noreen during a meeting at PMs House on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Prime Minister's Office ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hands a check of 10 million Pakistani rupees ($36,000) to Christian Staff Nurse Razia Noreen during a meeting at PM's House on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Christian Staff Nurse Razia Noreen to the PMs House in Islamabad on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Prime Minister's Office ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Christian Staff Nurse Razia Noreen to the PM's House in Islamabad on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:16:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, Sept. 2, praised a Christian nurse who risked her life to rescue an infant from a hospital fire that killed 14 newborns last week.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, Sept. 2, praised a Christian nurse who risked her life to rescue an infant from a hospital fire that killed 14 newborns last week.
Sharif met Staff Nurse Razia Noreen at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad and commended her courage during the Aug. 26 fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a major government hospital in the federal capital.
The fire broke out at about 7 a.m. in the mother-and-child health ward, where 15 newborns were being cared for. Noreen managed to rescue one infant, while the other 14 died, according to officials.
The tragedy sparked widespread public outrage and prompted lawmakers in both houses of Parliament to demand accountability. A government inquiry has since found serious failures in fire safety and emergency response at the hospital, leading to the suspension of eight officials and disciplinary action against those responsible.
Noreen became widely known after CCTV footage showed her running into the smoke-filled nursery and emerging seconds later with an infant in her arms. She attempted to return to the nursery to rescue more children but was unable to re-enter because of the rapidly spreading flames and thick smoke.

Noreen told Sharif on Thursday that she was preparing medication when she suddenly saw the fire.
“I threw the cabinet door shut and rushed inside,” she said. “I didn’t even think about it.” She said she also told another nurse to “save the kids” and entered the nursery as the fire intensified.
Noreen managed to rescue one of the smaller babies and carried him outside, where she handed him to a doctor before rushing back toward the nursery. “When Dr Abdul Rehman came out, I handed [the baby] over and rushed back inside,” she said.
As she attempted to rescue another baby, however, a sudden blast caused a blackout, she said. Noreen said she wished she could have saved the other children.
Sharif told Noreen that the entire nation was proud of her courage and described her as “a daughter of the nation.”
“The mother of the child you saved will bless you,” he said, adding that her actions would be remembered in history.

The prime minister said Noreen would receive the Sitara-i-Khidmat (Star of Service), one of Pakistan’s civilian honors, at the Pakistan Day award investiture ceremony on March 23. He also presented her with a check for 10 million Pakistani rupees (approximately $36,000).
Sharif had previously approved the award, saying Noreen had “saved a child without regard for her own life.”
“Razia Noreen has demonstrated an exceptional sense of responsibility and humanity,” he said. “The entire nation, including myself, is proud of Nurse Razia Noreen for risking her own life to save the child.”
Noreen thanked the prime minister but said she had not acted for recognition or reward. “Saving the babies was my responsibility as a nurse,” she told Sharif.
In an earlier interview, Noreen said that she had been deeply affected by the deaths of the other infants and had struggled to sleep since the tragedy.
The hospital fire remains the subject of an investigation, while the deaths of the 14 newborns have intensified concerns over fire-safety standards and emergency preparedness at government hospitals across Pakistan.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Pakistan court rules marriage to underage girls is child abuse]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pakistan-court-rules-marriage-to-underage-girls-is-child-abuse</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pakistan-court-rules-marriage-to-underage-girls-is-child-abuse</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International / Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Maria Shahbaz’s parents Shahbaz Masih and Erum Shahbaz with attorney Saqib Jillani and rights activist Safdar Chaudhry (R) at Federal Constitutional Court building.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International-Morning Star News ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Maria Shahbaz’s parents Shahbaz Masih and Erum Shahbaz with attorney Saqib Jillani and rights activist Safdar Chaudhry (R) at Federal Constitutional Court building. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:47:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Christian leaders and attorneys this week welcomed a Lahore High Court (LHC) ruling that says living in a marital relationship with a girl under 18 can constitute child abuse even if the minor consents.]]></description>
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Christian leaders and attorneys this week welcomed a Lahore High Court (LHC) ruling that says living in a marital relationship with a girl under 18 can constitute child abuse even if the minor consents.
They described the decision as a significant development in efforts to protect minority girls from child marriage and forced religious conversions.
In an 11-page written judgment issued on Monday (Aug. 31) in the case of a Muslim minor, Hina Aslam, LHC Justice Munawar Iqbal Duggal ruled that a marriage involving a person younger than 18 falls within the definition of child marriage under the recently enacted Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026. The court said the new law had changed the legal position on child marriage and must be applied accordingly.
The ruling placed the protection and welfare of the minor at the center of the proceedings, declining to grant immediate custody to either side. Justice Duggal ordered that Hina be placed in the safe custody of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau and directed police to investigate allegations of underage marriage and the issuance of a fraudulent marriage certificate.
The court held that a minor’s consent does not confer a legal right to live with an adult in a marital relationship.
“A marital relationship with a minor resulting from child marriage can constitute child abuse and may carry a prison sentence of five to seven years,” the judgment stated.
It added that the offense of child abuse could also attract a fine of at least 1 million Pakistani rupees (about $3,605).
The court ordered that Hina could not leave with the man claiming to be her husband. Meetings with her parents or the alleged husband were permitted only under supervision, the ruling stated. The issue of permanent custody will be decided by the Lahore Guardian Court, according to the judgment.
Hina was about 15 years and two months old when the alleged marriage took place, according to the ruling, which followed a petition filed by her father, Muhammad Aslam. The court cited records from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), which give her date of birth as March 1, 2011.
Justice Duggal directed the station house officer of B-Division Police Station in Kasur District, Punjab Province, to investigate the allegations of underage marriage and issuance of a fake marriage certificate and to register a case if an offense was established.
The court also rejected the police’s position that they could not investigate the allegations of underage marriage. It said a separate First Information Report (FIR) could be registered if the investigation established that an offense other than the alleged kidnapping had occurred.
Christian leaders and rights advocates said the judgment could strengthen legal protections for underage girls from religious minority communities, particularly if police and lower courts consistently enforce the new child marriage law.
Ejaz Alam Augustine, a Christian member of the Punjab Assembly, said he welcomed the court’s decision to prioritize the child’s welfare.
“It’s a good judgment. I’m glad that the court has put the child under protective custody and ordered a police investigation into the sham marriage,” Augustine told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “This verdict should have a positive impact on all cases of child marriage, particularly those involving underage girls from minority communities, including Christians and Hindus.”
Augustine had proposed an amendment to the Punjab child marriage legislation requiring the “best interests of the child” to be a primary consideration in proceedings under the law, including investigations, bail, sentencing and custody. The amendment was approved by the Punjab Assembly when the bill was passed on April 27.
The provision also states that a child involved in a marriage cannot be treated as an offender and that purported consent by a minor, particularly where coercion or abduction is alleged, is not determinative in decisions concerning custody or protection.
Augustine said he hoped police and lower courts would follow the high court’s interpretation and enforce the law consistently.
“This ruling has set a remarkable precedent for all cases of similar nature,” he said. “If the police and courts implement the law effectively, no one should be able to exploit underage girls under the guise of conversion and marriage.”
Muhammad Saqib Jillani, an attorney of the Supreme Court who represents the family of 13-year-old Christian Maria Shahbaz in a high-profile child marriage case before the Federal Constitutional Court, characterized the high court ruling as an important development in the legal position on child marriage.
“The Lahore High Court ruling has distinguished Hina’s case from the Feb. 3 FCC judgment upholding Maria Shahbaz’s marriage with 30-year-old Shehryar Ahmad, noting that the Punjab child marriage law came into force after the FCC ruling. In a way, the high court has stated that the FCC judgment is no longer valid after the law,” Jillani told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “This is very good news.”
Katherine Sapna of the Christians’ True Spirit paralegal organization also welcomed the ruling but expressed caution about its practical impact on cases involving minority girls.
“We have observed that police and subordinate courts often show bias in cases involving underage Christian girls, who are converted and married to their abductors,” she said. “Legal protections for children should be applied without any religious discrimination.”
Rights groups have for years raised concerns about alleged abductions, forced religious conversions and forced marriages involving Christian and other religious minority girls and women in Pakistan. A report titled, “Stolen Girls,” presented by advocacy organization Jubilee Campaign at the European Parliament on July 14, documented 210 cases involving alleged abduction, forced religious conversion, child marriage and sexual violence against Christian and other minority girls between 2019 and 2025.
The report said the cases pointed to what it described as a broader pattern of abuse allegedly facilitated by fraudulent documentation, manipulation of legal processes and institutional failures. Of the 210 cases it documented, 186, or 88.6 percent, occurred in Punjab Province; 22, or 10.5 percent, in Sindh Province; and two, or about 1 percent, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
More than 83 percent of the victims were under 18, according to the report. It identified 134 victims aged 14 to 17, 41 younger than 14 and 35 adults. The average age of the victims was 12.8 years, compared with 35.8 years for the alleged perpetrators. In several cases, the report said, the age difference exceeded 30 years.
The figures represent cases documented by Jubilee Campaign and do not constitute a comprehensive count of all alleged abduction, forced conversion or child marriage cases involving religious minorities in Pakistan.
Pakistan was ranked eighth among 50 countries in Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, which identifies countries where Christians face severe persecution. The organization cited systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversion, bonded labor and gender-based abuses among the concerns affecting Christians in Pakistan.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[US slams 'golden door' on world’s persecuted Christians, report says]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/us-slams-golden-door-on-worlds-persecuted-christians-report-says</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/us-slams-golden-door-on-worlds-persecuted-christians-report-says</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Ross]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[The Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor, long a symbol of refuge for those fleeing persecution, its pedestal bearing Emma Lazarus’ sonnet welcoming immigrants through a “golden door.” Fiscal Year 2026 will likely close Sept. 30 with no persecuted ]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ iStock/kasto80 ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor, long a symbol of refuge for those fleeing persecution, its pedestal bearing Emma Lazarus’ sonnet welcoming immigrants through a “golden door.” Fiscal Year 2026 will likely close Sept. 30 with no persecuted religious minorities resettled in the United States, according to a Sept. 3, 2026 report by World Relief and Open Doors US. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Arrival of Christian refugees from the 50 countries of Open Doors 2026 World Watch List.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ State of the Golden Door Report ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Arrival of Christian refugees from the 50 countries of Open Doors 2026 World Watch List. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Number of Christian refugee arrivals from selected countries: 2020, 2024, 2025, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ State of the Golden Door Report ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Number of Christian refugee arrivals from selected countries: 2020, 2024, 2025, 2026. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:25:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The U.S. government’s 2026 Fiscal Year ending on Sept. 30 likely will be the first in a quarter century in which no refugees enduring religious persecution are resettled in the United States, according to a report by two Christian aid agencies.]]></description>
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The U.S. government’s 2026 Fiscal Year ending on Sept. 30 likely will be the first in a quarter century in which no refugees enduring religious persecution are resettled in the United States, according to a report by two Christian aid agencies.
“Barring a significant change in U.S. policy in the final month of the federal fiscal year, we anticipate that FY2026 will be the first year in at least a quarter century, and likely in the entire history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, in which persecuted religious minorities have been completely shut out,” concludes the report released today (Sept. 3) by humanitarian organization World Relief and Christian support group Open Doors US.
Amid unprecedented levels of persecution of Christians worldwide, the experience of seekers of asylum in the United States in 2025 and 2026 has been unpredictable and chaotic, states the report, “State of the Golden Door: Evaluating U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum in Light of Global Christian Persecution.”
“While the leaders of both World Relief and Open Doors US affirm the need to ensure secure borders and the need for reforms to the asylum system, those goals cannot come at the cost of legitimate asylum applicants’ safety and right to a fair process,” it states. “The combination of changes outlined here have together, functionally discontinued the asylum system in the U.S. This means, in turn, that for those asylum seekers with legitimate concerns of persecution on account of their faith, the U.S. may not offer the safety it has for many years promised to provide.”
In a letter introducing the report, Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, and Ryan Brown, president and CEO of Open Doors US, state that their organizations are politically non-partisan but that, as all human beings are created in God’s image with inherent dignity, they believe they are worth protecting.
“We also take seriously the Old Testament command to welcome the stranger, as well as Jesus’ admonition to care for the neighbor, illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, as extending beyond those who happen to share the same ethnic or religious characteristics,” they write.
Many Christians agree with them, they stated, that the U.S. should keep open refugee access, termed the “golden door” as referenced on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Recent polling by Lifeway Research found that 70 percent of evangelical Christians believe the U.S. has a moral responsibility to accept refugees, regardless of whether those refugees are Christian. Even more recently, 82 percent of Protestant pastors agreed, they stated.
Greene said at a briefing in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (Sept. 3), “The U.S. has taken this golden door and closed it.”
Ara Torosian, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from Iran, pastors Cornerstone Church in West Los Angeles, which includes other Iranian refugees. He said at the briefing that persecuted Christians trying to attain asylum are trying to save their lives and are not a danger to the United States.
“America has always been a place of refuge for Christian people,” Pastor Torosian said.
The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump in early 2025 halted all refugee resettlement via executive order with very narrow exceptions, and while the program was never officially restarted, the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 set a new precedent, the report notes.

“Disregarding the traditional international legal definition of a refugee, individuals identified outside of their country of origin who have a well-founded fear of persecution, it instead made a provision for resettling 7,500 white South Africans, mostly of the Afrikaner heritage, whom it describes as ‘victims of unjust racial discrimination,’” the report states, noting that the ceiling increased to 17,500 in June but with the same singular focus on one group. “Notwithstanding the hardship that some South Africans have experienced, South Africa is not known to be a country which restricts religious liberty, so any hardship experienced is unlikely to be religiously motivated. Because the three individuals resettled this fiscal year who were not from South Africa were not members of religious minorities in their country of origin, we can confidently conclude that, thus far in FY2026, no refugees experiencing religious persecution were resettled in the U.S.”
Since the Refugee Act of 1980 established the foundations of the modern resettlement program, the U.S. has accepted nearly 3.7 million refugees primarily through the Refugee Admissions Program, the report states. The law draws on the international definition of a refugee, determining that those fleeing credible threats of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular group could qualify as a refugee with proper documentation and screening.
“On average, the nation has resettled an [annual] average of about 73,500, with more than 200,000 arriving in a single year in 1980 and several other years exceeding 100,000,” it states. “In recent years, this number has plummeted.”

The administration has also begun efforts to send away immigrants already accepted as refugees. In November 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its intention to reopen the cases of some 230,000 refugees admitted under the previous administration, while also pausing green card processing for refugees who entered during the same time period. DHS then in January announced Operation Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening (PARRIS), claiming it would address fraud in the refugee resettlement program, the report states.
“They began in Minnesota, specifically targeting 5,600 refugees who had not yet received green cards,” it states. “Through Operation PARRIS, around 150 refugees were detained, some through door-to-door arrests, and transferred to Texas for re-interviews. A number of these refugees were released in Texas without transportation back to Minnesota, and in some cases without their documentation.”
A court case, U.H.A v Bondi, halted Operation PARRIS’s arrests and detentions in Minnesota, accusing DHS of detaining refugees for lacking green cards while at the same time preventing refugees from receiving them. Another lawsuit, Jean A. v Noem, seeks to prevent similar tactics nationwide; it is ongoing but led to a nationwide pause on the policy until the case is decided.
DHS has since shifted from detentions to call-in letters for re-interviews across the country.
“The policy continues to cause fear for refugees and their families, employers and communities, including for many whose refugee designation was based upon religious persecution,” the report states.
The report highlights the case of Saw Shining, who fled Burma (Myanmar) and first arrived in Minnesota more than 15 years ago as a refugee after decades in a Thai refugee camp. He became pastor of a church in Minneapolis that included Christian Karen people, a persecuted ethnolinguistic group from southeastern Burma. He also became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
“When he and the Karen community heard President Trump’s calls for aggressive immigration enforcement, they thought that those without a criminal record would be safe, especially given their legal status as refugees,” the report states. “However, as Operation PARRIS rolled out, it soon became clear that even some immigrants who were lawfully present and had not been charged with crimes were being targeted for detention. Overnight, the community became fearful of law enforcement, evoking memories of encounters with police in Burma and Thailand, where refugees were closely monitored and kept apart simply due to their status as refugees.”
Older members of the Karen community in Minneapolis or who those who spoke less English began to stay at home, even U.S. citizens like Saw Shining’s parents.
“Nevertheless, between 30 to 50 lawfully present Karen refugees who had not yet received their green cards were detained during Operation PARRIS,” the report states. “One member of his previous church was separated for three weeks from her 5-month-old baby – whom she had been breastfeeding prior to her detention – while she was being reinterviewed in Texas.”
While all members of the community have returned after the judicial orders, call-in letters have continued to arrive for reinterviews, the report notes.
“What happened [during Operation PARRIS] was really hard for our Karen people,” Pastor Shining said. “We are not Thai or Burmese citizens; we are U.S. citizens. This nation is ours, and we must love, care for and support our Constitution. We do not want to become stateless again.”
At this writing the Trump administration had yet to respond to a request for comment on the Golden Door report.
Approval Rate Plummets
In the Refugee Act and as a party to an international convention, the U.S. has pledged not to turn away people who can demonstrate they meet the necessary conditions for asylum. Unlike refugees, there is no legal limit on the number of asylum seekers that can be approved each year.
The two main avenues for asylum are an “affirmative” claim, when applicants submit a claim to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and a “defensive” claim, when the DHS seeks to deport someone and the person pleads asylum at a removal hearing in front of an immigration judge.
“While data is not publicly available on the religious demographics of those who seek asylum defensively, it’s clear that as the overall asylum approval rate has plummeted, Christians fleeing religious persecution are much less likely to be approved as well,” the report states.
In FY2023, immigration judges granted asylum to 17,157 people of all religious backgrounds from countries on the World Watch List of the 50 countries with the worst persecution, accounting for 58 percent of all asylum decisions for those from those countries, according to the report. In FY2025, the approval rate declined to 26 percent for those from those 50 countries.
“During the first nine months of FY2026, the approval rate for these countries had declined further, to just 10 percent,” the report states. “Specific countries that rank high on the World Watch List for Christian persecution such as Iran (#10), India (#12) and China (#17) have been particularly affected by the stark decline in asylum approval rates in immigration court.”
For each year from FY2020 to FY2024, at least 62 percent of asylum decisions for Indian nationals were approvals, but for FY2026, the asylum approval rate has dropped to just 6 percent. Iran has historically had very high rates of asylum approvals before immigration judges, above 80 percent from FY2020 through FY2024, but for FY2025 and FY2026 year-to-date, it has fallen to just 38 percent, with most Iranian asylum applicants being denied, according to the report.
Rates of asylum approval for Chinese nationals fell from as high as 88 percent in FY2022 to just 29 percent thus far in FY2026, it states.
“The decrease in approved asylum cases coincides with a dramatic increase in the number of asylum claims being adjudicated,” the report notes. “FY2025 saw 121,936 decisions, the highest ever, likely due to the speed at which cases were being decided.”
Refoulement
The principle of non-refoulement, established in international law and in U.S. statute, states that countries will not deport anyone (especially refugees and asylum seekers) back to countries where their “life or freedom would be threatened” due to “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
To avoid explicitly violating the principle of non-refoulement, the Department of State has made arrangements with third countries to allow the U.S. to deport would-be asylum seekers to those other countries rather than back to the asylum seeker’s home country, the report states.
“As a result, over 21,000 people have been deported to countries to which they have never been, have no connections in, and in some cases, do not even speak the language,” it notes. “The U.S. currently has third-country removal agreements with 35 nations, most of which are in Africa or Central America. Since these agreements are not public, the exact details of this process is unclear, but some agreements have resulted in people being repatriated by the third country back to the country where they initially fled persecution.”
Those removed have included asylum seekers at the southern border, those with pending cases in immigration court and others who have been granted protection from removal, the report states.
“Credible reports suggest that in transport, Non-refoulement & Deportation Agreements individuals have been shackled, held in primitive conditions and threatened with being sent back to their home country,” it states. “Furthermore, when people are being sent to countries where they have almost no resources, it renders them extremely vulnerable to abuse and injustice.”
These third-country deportations have impacted persecuted Christians. In February 2025, an Iranian woman who converted to Christianity and fled fearing persecution made it into the U.S. only to have her claims for asylum ignored, according to the report.
“She was subsequently sent to a detention camp in Panama’s jungle. There, she was held, along with several other Iranian Christians who had sought asylum in the U.S., only to be turned away,” it states.
These policies have been repeatedly challenged in court, both in the U.S. and in the third countries themselves, but as of this year, the deportations continue, according to the report.
“World Relief and Open Doors US firmly believe that returning someone to a place of persecution – however indirectly – is a stark violation of the principles on which our nation was founded, and in direct contradiction to our beliefs as Christians.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Lawmaker tables bill to protect sanitation workers in Pakistan's Punjab, majority of whom are Christians]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/lawmaker-tables-bill-to-protect-sanitation-workers-in-pakistan-s-punjab-majority-of-whom-are-christians</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/lawmaker-tables-bill-to-protect-sanitation-workers-in-pakistan-s-punjab-majority-of-whom-are-christians</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Pakistan sanitation worker]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Hundreds of sanitation workers have reportedly died due to toxic gases and unsafe working conditions. ]]>
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                                                                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:35:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A Muslim lawmaker in Pakistan’s Punjab Provincial Assembly on Tuesday (Sept. 1) introduced legislation seeking to establish permanent legal protections for sanitation workers, a workforce that includes a large proportion of Christians.]]></description>
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A Muslim lawmaker in Pakistan’s Punjab Provincial Assembly on Tuesday (Sept. 1) introduced legislation seeking to establish permanent legal protections for sanitation workers, a workforce that includes a large proportion of Christians.
The Punjab Waste and Sanitation Workers (Dignity, Safety, Security and Welfare) Bill 2026, introduced by Ahmad Iqbal Chaudhry, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee-III, seeks to establish statutory protections for sanitation workers’ safety, dignity, social security and welfare across the province.
The bill was introduced following the deaths of four sanitation workers in Sahiwal and Faisalabad earlier this year. On May 7, sanitation worker Shabbir Masih, a father of three, died in Faisalabad after being exposed to poisonous gases while working. His colleague, Sanwal Masih, was hospitalized after suffering similar exposure. Three days earlier, on May 4, workers Shakeel Masih and Samar Masih died while cleaning a manhole in Sahiwal without protective equipment.
The proposed legislation seeks to move beyond temporary administrative responses that typically follow workplace accidents by requiring occupational safety measures, protective equipment and social-security protections for sanitation workers.
Chaudhry said on X that sanitation workers perform essential but dangerous work while frequently lacking basic safety protections.
“Sanitation workers perform some of the most difficult, dangerous and essential work in our society,” he said. “Yet far too many continue to enter sewers and hazardous environments without adequate protective equipment, safety standards, occupational safeguards or social protection.”
He said hundreds of sanitation workers had died in the line of duty and that the recent deaths in Sahiwal and Faisalabad underscored the need for legislative action.
“An overwhelming majority of those doing the most hazardous sanitation work come from our Christian community,” Chaudhry said, adding that many workers were among the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
He also criticized what he described as unequal public responses to workplace deaths involving marginalized workers.
“If such tragedies repeatedly struck people from influential or privileged sections of society, there would be outrage, accountability and immediate action,” he said. “When the victims are among the poorest and most vulnerable, their deaths too often pass without the same response. Is their life worth any less?”
The proposed legislation comes amid growing scrutiny of the treatment and working conditions of sanitation workers in Pakistan.
A July 2025 report by Amnesty International, “Cut Us Open and See That We Bleed Like Them,” documented what it described as systemic discrimination, hazardous working conditions and caste-based exclusion affecting sanitation workers in Pakistan.
The report found that sanitation work was disproportionately assigned to non-Muslims from communities historically described as “lower caste,” often leaving workers with limited alternatives for employment. Women sanitation workers faced additional discrimination based on caste, religion and gender, Amnesty said.
The organization also documented cases in which sanitation workers had faced stigma and violence, including blasphemy allegations. Among the cases it examined was that of Aasiya Noreen, a Christian sanitation worker better known as Asia Bibi, whose blasphemy conviction and subsequent acquittal became an international human-rights case.
Amnesty said its review of nearly 300 government job advertisements published between 2010 and March 2025 found numerous advertisements explicitly requiring applicants to be non-Muslim or from “lower castes” for sanitation positions.
The practice has been challenged in the courts.
In a December 2025 ruling, the Islamabad High Court directed authorities to end discriminatory language in government advertisements for sanitation jobs, including requirements such as “Christians only,” and emphasized the state’s responsibility to provide sanitation workers with appropriate safety measures.
Justice Raja Inam Amin Minhas noted in the ruling that more than 70 Christian sanitation workers had died since 1988 after exposure to toxic gases. The court described the failure to provide adequate safety measures as a serious lapse in the state’s responsibilities and called for protective equipment and monitoring mechanisms.
Separately, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has petitioned the Federal Constitutional Court seeking an end to manual sewer cleaning, highlighting the risks posed by toxic gases and other hazardous conditions.
The petition calls for stronger national health and safety standards, noting that inadequate enforcement, insufficient training and a lack of protective equipment continue to expose sanitation workers to preventable deaths and injuries.
Rights advocates say the conditions faced by sanitation workers demonstrate the need for stronger enforcement of labor and occupational-safety laws, as well as greater accountability for authorities responsible for workplace safety.]]></content:encoded>
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