A. S. John

Pakistan Correspondent

Articles by A. S. John

13 Apr, 2026 02:20 EDT

Asia Family & Children Church & Missions Society & Culture

Bill seeks to rewrite colonial-era Christian marriage law in Pakistan’s Punjab province

By A. S. John

A Christian lawmaker in Pakistan’s Punjab province has introduced a bill to raise the minimum legal age of marriage for Christian girls and boys to 18, in a move aimed at overhauling the 153-year-old colonial-era Christian Marriage Act of 1872.
16 Mar, 2026 19:02 EDT

Asia Society & Culture

‘Where will we go?’ Eviction threat puts thousands of Christian families at risk in Pakistan’s capital

By A. S. John

Thousands of Christian families living in informal settlements in Pakistan’s federal capital say they fear losing their homes after authorities issued verbal directives last week ordering residents to vacate government land, triggering protests and raising concern among human rights advocates about the possible displacement of an already marginalized community.
10 Mar, 2026 15:18 EDT

Asia Religious Freedom Society & Culture Family & Children

In landmark verdict, Pakistan’s high court allows Christian couples to seek divorce on ground of desertion

By A. S. John

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that Christian couples in Pakistan can seek dissolution of marriage on the ground of desertion if they have lived separately for at least two years, a decision that would significantly ease the divorce process for members of the minority community.
26 Feb, 2026 07:48 EST

Asia Church & Missions

Christian lawmaker in Pakistan proposes bill to safeguard church and minority assets

By A. S. John

A Christian lawmaker in Punjab province in Pakistan has introduced sweeping legislation aimed at safeguarding properties belonging to Christians and other religious minorities, amid longstanding allegations of land encroachments, disputed titles, unauthorized sales and weak oversight.
23 Feb, 2026 14:40 EST

Asia Society & Culture

Pakistani Christians renew push for electoral reform on reserved minority seats

By A. S. John

Christians in Pakistan have renewed calls for reforms to the country’s electoral system for religious minorities, arguing that the current mechanism for filling reserved seats deprives them of meaningful democratic representation in provincial and national legislatures.
28 Dec, 2025 06:50 EST

Asia Church & Missions Society & Culture

State-backed Christmas marks rare break from Pakistan’s history of extremism, minority exclusion

By A. S. John

Government-sponsored Christmas celebrations in Pakistan this year marked a historic departure from the country’s decades-long struggle with religious extremism — where religious minorities, including Christians, have been targeted in bombings, mob attacks, and discriminatory practices.
22 Dec, 2025 07:10 EST

Asia Religious Freedom Church & Missions Society & Culture

Amid challenges, Christmas celebrations highlight hope, constitutional promises for Pakistan’s Christians

By A. S. John

As Christmas approaches, scenes of celebration unfolded in Pakistan’s courts and streets alike, offering moments of warmth and reflection for the minority Christians amid continuing challenges.
2 Dec, 2025 16:29 EST

Asia Society & Culture

Landmark petition seeks protection for Pakistan’s mostly Christian sanitation workers

By A. S. John

The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has filed a landmark constitutional petition before the newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), seeking an end to manual sewer cleaning – a practice that has claimed the lives of dozens of Christian and other sanitation workers over the years.
24 Nov, 2025 21:15 EST

Asia Society & Culture

Roma Riaz, first Pakistani Christian at Miss Universe, slams colorist and body-shaming trolls

By A. S. John

Roma Riaz is used to being the “first,” but not to the kind of attention she received in the weeks leading up to the recent Miss Universe pageant held on Nov. 21. As the first Pakistani Christian to compete in the contest, the 27-year-old found herself at the center of an intense online debate.
11 Jul, 2025 10:54 EDT

Asia Society & Culture

Pakistan launches special program to integrate religious minorities in civil service

By A. S. John

In a landmark move to foster inclusivity and ensure equitable representation within the public sector, the Pakistan government has launched a transformative initiative aimed at integrating minority communities, including Christians, more actively into the country’s civil service.
12 May, 2025 08:08 EDT

Asia Family & Children Education Society & Culture

Study finds Pakistani textbooks promote religious bias through excessive Islamic content, marginalize minorities

By A. S. John

A review of school textbooks in Pakistan has found that problematic content remains embedded in the curriculum, contributing to the exclusion of religious minorities from the country’s social mainstream and national narrative. A study titled What Are We Teaching at School? by the Lahore-based research and advocacy organization Center for Social Justice (CSJ) reviewed 145 textbooks of compulsory subjects for Grades 1 through 10.
18 Feb, 2025 05:15 EST

US & Canada Society & Culture

Pakistan’s faith-based organizations among those hit by US funding freeze

By A. S. John

Yasir Talib was writing a project report at his office in Lahore on Jan. 27 when he received disturbing news: the research and advocacy organization where he worked would not renew his contract due to a funding freeze announced by the Trump administration. Talib, project coordinator of the Minority Leadership Development (MLD) initiative at the Lahore-based Center for Social Justice (CSJ), which was financially supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), was among 10 employees laid

A. S. John

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