More than two dozen Christian families were forced to flee their homes in Pakistan last week after allegations of blasphemy against a pastor living in the United States triggered fears of mob violence, sources said.
Joseph Nayyar, a human rights advocate in Hafizabad, Gujranwala Division, Punjab Province, said tensions escalated in the division’s Jhulan village on July 3 after announcements from mosque loudspeakers accused Pastor Sajeel Robin of posting videos on social media considered offensive to Islam and the its prophet Muhammad. The pastor is a native of the village now residing in the U.S.
“Pastor Sajeel Robin, who settled in the U.S. a couple of years ago, frequently posts videos featuring religious debates with Muslims and discussions on Islam,” Nayyar said. “His uncle, Shamaun Masih, and younger brother, Nabeel Robin, who still live in the village, reportedly shared some of those videos in WhatsApp groups. After local clerics became aware of the content, they began making announcements from mosque loudspeakers calling on people to act against what they described as ‘blasphemous content.’”
About 35 to 40 Christian families live in Jhulan village. Shortly after the mosque announcements, officers from Kot Ladha police arrived and advised Christian residents to leave their homes as a precaution against possible violence, according to Nayyar.
“Most of the Christian families fled with only the belongings they could carry,” he said. “Meanwhile, police took Pastor Sajeel’s father, Robin Masih, and his maternal uncle, Shamaun Masih, into protective custody, while his brother, Nabeel Robin, went into hiding to avoid arrest.”
Nayyar credited local police, village headman Muhammad Asif Gujjar and Muslim residents with helping to defuse the situation through negotiations with local clerics.
“The situation could easily have spiraled into violence had the police and local Muslims not intervened,” he said. “They urged the protesting clerics not to target innocent Christians and assured them that legal action would be taken, if warranted, against those deemed responsible.”
Following those assurances, Nayyar said, local clerics and Muslim community leaders submitted a signed statement to police saying they were “pardoning” Robin Masih and Shamaun Masih after the two men issued an unconditional apology and publicly distanced themselves from Pastor Sajeel Robin.
After the agreement was reached, the displaced Christian families returned to the village on Saturday evening (July 4) and attended Sunday worship services at the local Seventh-day Adventist church, Nayyar said. He added that police may have assured protesting clerics they would arrest Nabeel Robin in an effort to calm tensions.
“So far, no First Information Report [FIR] has been registered against any member of the Masih family, but the possibility of legal action cannot be ruled out,” he said.
Members of the Masih family could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.
A Kot Ladha police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said prompt police intervention prevented the situation from escalating.
“We are grateful to the religious scholars who recognized the sensitivity of the situation and urged protesters to maintain law and order,” the official told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “The police are investigating the matter and appeal to the public to refrain from any provocative actions that could disturb peace in the area.”
Nayyar said the swift response by police and community leaders had likely prevented violence similar to the attacks that devastated the Christian community in Jaranwala in August 2023.
On Aug. 16, 2023, mobs attacked Christian neighborhoods in Jaranwala, Faisalabad Division, after two Christian men were falsely accused of blasphemy. At least 20 churches and more than 80 Christian homes were vandalized or set ablaze, prompting the deployment of police and paramilitary forces. The two accused men were later acquitted after an anti-terrorism court found the allegations against them to be fabricated.
Amnesty International, however, has reported that most of those initially arrested in connection with the attacks have since been released or acquitted, leaving many members of the affected Christian community still waiting for meaningful accountability, justice and restitution.
International advocacy organizations continue to rank Pakistan among the world’s most difficult countries for Christians. In its 2026 World Watch List, Open Doors ranked Pakistan eighth among the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, citing systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversions, bonded labor and gender-based abuses. The organization also said weak law enforcement and widespread impunity have enabled perpetrators of anti-Christian violence to escape accountability.
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