- According to tradition, the gospel already reached what is now Pakistan in the year 33, when the Apostle Thomas preached on the Indian subcontinent. In the Pakistani city of Taxila, there were so-called Thomas Christians. Various Christian denominations have since spread the gospel in the area that is now Pakistan.
- Also during the British colonial period 1858-1947, the message of God's love in Jesus was shared in Pakistan. Many of those who received the message were low-caste Hindus who not only came to believe in Jesus, but also through the message of the Bible could see themselves as created by God and thus equal to everyone else.
It is not the authorities who execute death sentences for blasphemy, but crowds, incited by extremist Islamist groups, who commit vigilantism - quote
- Although the new believers could be freed from the stigma of the caste system through Christianity, the former Hindus were still at the bottom of society. Low social status still characterizes large parts of the Christian minority in Pakistan. Schooling and education are still needed to lift the Christian minority out of poverty and empower them to boldly stand up for their rights and share their faith.
- 1947 Pakistan and India used to be one country - the British colony (The British Raj) - but after the War of Independence, Pakistan became an independent, predominantly Muslim country, while India became an independent, predominantly Hindu country. Whether Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, was secular at heart is impossible to say, but in his speech on August 11, 1947 to the Constitutional Assembly, he stated that Pakistan should be characterized by, among other things, freedom of religion and equality before the law.
- 1956 Pakistan is given the name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
- 1972 was a landmark year for the church in Pakistan when Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto nationalized a number of Christian educational institutions. The institutions were in some cases elite schools. These schools were respected among the Muslim majority for high academic standards. Nationalization deprived Christians of important platforms in society.
- 1980 onwards. Even at its birth, Pakistan had inherited blasphemy laws from the British colonial era. However, the British laws covered blasphemy against all religions, not just Islam. From 1980, new blasphemy laws were passed, which in practice only punish blasphemy against Islam with imprisonment and/or the death penalty. According to the Pakistani Center for Research and Security Studies 104 Christians and people of other backgrounds have been killed between 1947 and May 2024 simply because they were accused of blasphemy or because they were critical of blasphemy laws. It is not the authorities who carry out death sentences for blasphemy, but crowds, incited by extremist Islamist groups, who commit vigilantism.
Sources
- Conversations with church leaders in Pakistan
- Center for Research and Security Studies
- Muneer Masih, PhD and Professor Dr. Naudir Bakht (2025). State policies and the marginalization of religious minorities a case study of discrimination against Christians during Bhutto and Zia-Ul-Haq Eras, Policy Research Journal, Islamabad.
