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Confronting Religious Persecution at the IRF Summit

Feb. 10Stories That Demand Action:

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who are on the front lines of defending religious freedom. The Summit provides a rare forum to share firsthand experiences, expose ongoing...More

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Persecuted Pakistani Christians

The ACLJ has been working in Pakistan through its affiliate, the Organization for Legal Aid (OLA), for about 13 years now.  Our team there has represented clients in over 100 cases. In many of these cases, we have been able to obtain successful outcomes for our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their Christian faith. These cases involve a number of serious issues, including false blasphemy accusations, murder of innocent believers, kidnapping, forced religious conversion, forced marriages of young Christian girls, sexual assault of minors, and bonded labor at brick kilns and agricultural and cattle farms.

I recently visited our affiliate office in Pakistan and met with several current and former clients, heard their stories, and saw their situations firsthand. Every time I meet with these clients, I realize something profound. While working on their cases, interviewing them, preparing them, and fighting their cases, we think we are an encouragement to them in their times of pain and suffering. That does happen. But after meeting them, visiting them in their homes, seeing the crime scenes where they were persecuted, and seeing how they are standing strong in their faith even in the face of persecution, I realize more and more that these clients are the ones who are a real encouragement to us to continue to do what we do.

I would like to share Waqar Masih’s story with you. Due to his physical condition, he could not travel to our office, so I went to meet with him and his family at their home. As a teenager, Waqar used to compete in bicycle racing and had won awards. After high school, to support his family, he started a snack and cold drink shop in his neighborhood, but also continued competing in the local bicycle races. Waqar told me that he was famous for preparing a snack made with betel leaf, nuts, and other ingredients, and people, even Muslims, would come to his shop from nearby towns to buy the snack.

On December 30, 2016, two Muslim men, Muhammad Shahbaz and Muhammad Qasim, came to his shop and requested the betel leaf snack. Because it was a busy time of year, Waqar had already prepared the snack, which he gave to the two men. They became upset because he would not prepare a fresh snack on the spot. They refused to pay for the snack, and knowing Waqar was a Christian, they shouted some religious slurs and said they would come back to teach him a lesson.

After a few minutes, the two men came back on a motorbike, shot Waqar four times, and fled the scene. Waqar told me that at that very moment he could not feel his legs. His father, cousins, and neighbors quickly gathered and took him to the hospital, where they found out that his spinal cord was damaged due to a bullet wound. He was now paralyzed.

I looked at his picture hanging on a wall just above his bed that was taken after he received an award for winning a bicycle race and I did not know how to comfort him. I also looked at the other wall that had a Bible verse, and I asked him what keeps him going. He said, “the Lord Jesus Christ.” Seeing Waqar in that condition was one thing, but then I saw his mom. She was so excited to meet with me and our team. I saw her coming down from the second floor of their house with the help of her husband. Her one foot was missing, recently amputated because she has diabetes. But, she had joy on her face.

Back in 2017, our affiliate office took up Waqar’s case. The two attackers were arrested and the police picked up the empty bullet shells from Waqar’s shop. The bullet shells were matched to the gun recovered from one of the men. Our lawyers began attending the court hearings, opposing the defendants’ bail, and representing Waqar during the trial. After dozens of hearings in the course of almost three years, in October 2020, the trial court sentenced Muhammad Shahbaz to seven years and Muhammad Qasim to five years imprisonment.

We immediately appealed, asking the higher court to enhance their sentences given the grievous nature of the crime and Waqar’s condition. In January 2021, the higher court enhanced Muhammad Shahbaz’s sentence to ten years imprisonment, but acquitted Muhammad Qasim, stating that Muhammad Shahbaz was the one who shot all four rounds, and no injuries were attributed to Qasim. We appealed against Qasim’s acquittal and are currently waiting for the court to schedule a hearing for arguments on appeal.

I asked Waqar what he thought about the two guys who shot him. He told me that when his family heard the court’s decision, they did not celebrate. They only thanked God for justice. Waqar said that while he thinks justice needed to be done so these men could not do such a thing to anyone else and others would learn a lesson, he has forgiven them because that’s what the Lord calls him to do.

Waqar cannot walk, cannot move his legs, and has urine and colostomy bags attached to him all the time. He also has no movement in one of his arms as a result of his gunshot wounds.

While we are preparing for the argument on appeal, the ACLJ has been able to financially assist Waqar with obtaining medical help. The doctors said they cannot do anything at this time to help Waqar walk, but they can perform surgery on his hand so that he will be able to use it again. This news gives him a glimmer of hope. Our team in Pakistan will be financially supporting and taking Waqar for the surgery in the next few days.

Please pray for Waqar’s hand surgery, for his court appeal, and even for a miracle that he might be able to walk again. As I left the meeting at Waqar’s family home that day, I saw his closed snack shop with his picture on top of it. Maybe one day he can prepare and sell those famous snacks again. Maybe he can ride a bike again. I’m thankful that God gave us a chance to stand with him in his legal battle. I asked Waqar if he had a message for us, and he said, “Keep doing what you are doing, and I pray that the Lord continues to use you to help people like me.”

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Shaheryar Gill  //

Feb 10, 2026

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who...

Shaheryar Gill  //

Jan 27, 2026

We recently informed you about V, a seven-year-old girl, who was sexually abused by a Muslim neighbor in Pakistan. We have been working on a similar, and even more horrific, case in which two Christian women...

Shaheryar Gill  //

Jan 21, 2026

Today I want to bring you an important update on another critical case involving a vulnerable seven-year-old Christian girl , to whom we will refer as “V” to protect her identity. V was sexually abused by a...