Pakistani Christian Says He Is Charged With Blasphemy for Refusing to Convert

Police arrested Ashbeel Ghauri from his home in Attock City, Punjab Province, on Wednesday (March 6) after his former classmate, Sheraz Gulistan, accused him of disrespecting Islam during a religious discussion in a WhatsApp group two months ago, said his father, Babar Ghauri.

Police arrested Ashbeel Ghauri from his home in Attock City, Punjab Province, on Wednesday (March 6) after his former classmate, Sheraz Gulistan, accused him of disrespecting Islam during a religious discussion in a WhatsApp group two months ago, said his father, Babar Ghauri.

“We were shocked when the police came to arrest Ashbeel,” Ghauri said. “My son had not shared with us before that Sheraz and some other Muslim classmates had been pressuring him to change his Christian faith.”

A devout Christian passionate about his faith, Ashbeel Ghauri had begun college. At the same time, his former classmate, Gulistan, entered an Islamic seminary (madrassa), said his father, who belongs to the Presbyterian church. Gulistan and other Muslims had engaged Ashbeel Ghauri in religious discussions on several occasions to convert him, he said.

His former classmates have implicated him in a false blasphemy case to destroy his educational career and prospects because he refused to renounce his faith in Christ, Babar Ghauri said.

Ashbeel Ghauri is the oldest of three children, and his father said that the family had pinned their hopes on him for a better future.

“It’s a crucial time for my family, especially for Ashbeel, but we know God will walk us through this test, and he will emerge victorious in faith,” he said. “His mother and I met him in prison on March 8, and though he is concerned about his condition, Ashbeel told us not to worry because he knows Christ will not forsake him.”

Gulistan accused him of saying in WhatsApp text messages in January that he did not believe in the Islamic Allah, according to First Information Report No. 185/24, registered at the Attock City Police Station under Section 295-A of Pakistan’s blasphemy law.

In the text messages, Ashbeel is also alleged to have questioned the Islamic concept of allowing four marriages for Muslim men, said his attorney, Nadeem Hassan of the legal aid group Christians True Spirit (CTS).

Hassan said section 295-A relates to hurting religious sentiments and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine, or both. He said he hoped the court would grant bail to the Christian student because the text messages shared by the complainant did not contain any derogatory words against the Islamic faith.

“The court should consider the case on merit, keeping in view that Ashbeel has not committed any blasphemy,” Hassan said. The complainant instituted the case based on text messages exchanged two months ago, which shows that he nurtured a grudge against the victim. It would be a grave miscarriage of justice if the court did not grant bail to the student and give him an opportunity for a fair trial.”

At least 329 people were accused of blasphemy under the law in 2023, according to the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), an advocacy group based in Lahore. Among those accused, 247 were Muslims, 65 were Ahmadis, 11 were Christians, and one was Hindu, while the religious affiliation of five others was unknown.

According to the CSJ report, Punjab Province had the most people accused of blasphemy—179—followed by Sind Province with 79, Azad Jammu and Kashmir with 37, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 32, and Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan with one each.

It added that seven people accused of blasphemy were killed extra-judicially in 2023, including four in Punjab and one each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

At least 2,449 persons have been accused of committing blasphemy between 1987 and 2023, according to the CSJ report. The highest number of accused by religion were 1,279 Muslims (52 percent), followed by 782 Ahmadis (32 percent), 291 Christians (12 percent), and 45 Hindus (2 percent), while the religion of other (2 percent) was unconfirmed.