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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

We just had a major development in one of our Pakistan cases. The Lahore High Court upheld the life sentence of a Muslim man who raped a nine-year-old Christian girl after our attorney on the ground in Pakistan presented oral argument on the girl’s behalf.

We previously reported about our case involving AJ, a young Christian girl in Pakistan. Our legal team secured justice for her when the local district court convicted the Muslim man, Qamar ul Zaman of raping AJ and sentenced him to life in prison. This legal victory was accomplished in partnership with our Pakistani affiliate, the Organization for Legal Aid (OLA).

Through the eyewitness testimony of a neighbor who had seen Zaman taking AJ away, the assistance of local police, medical evidence, and AJ’s own bravery in reporting the 2021 rape, Zaman was convicted and sentenced for his crime in September 2022. AJ was only nine years old at the time of the rape, which occurred in April 2021.

Zaman’s family tried multiple avenues to keep this case from going to trial. The original lawyer was not able to move the case forward. The perpetrator’s family repeatedly attempted to bribe AJ’s parents to not pursue these charges. The perpetrator’s wife even found AJ at school and tried to intimidate her.

As we previously explained:

In Pakistan, because of their social status, poverty, and lack of education, many Christians don’t know what to do in such a situation, or even if to call the police. Further, cases of rape and sexual abuse often go unpunished because victims or their families don’t tell anyone due to social stigma.

Thankfully, AJ’s parents contacted our legal team, and we defended her rights and ensured justice was achieved, with her attacker being punished for his vicious crime.

After the sentencing, Zaman and his family filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court, seeking to reverse his conviction. Our team argued in court on AJ’s behalf this week, and we are pleased to report that the High Court upheld Zaman’s conviction.

This is an encouraging victory. It shows that Pakistani courts, at times, can and do uphold the rule of law and protect the civil rights of Christians, with the help of skilled advocates and judges who are willing to consider all the facts. However, our team has also seen too many cases of Christians being denied justice because of mob pressure, social bias, and Pakistan’s onerous blasphemy laws. Thankfully, the court, in this case, reached the right decision and made it clear to the local community that no one is above the law. We will continue our work to ensure that persecuted Christians in Pakistan receive justice for crimes committed against them.

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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...