A rights group in Pakistan calls on Punjab authorities to protect a Christian family accused of blasphemy amid an alleged land-grab scheme.
Newsroom (25/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) A Pakistan-based human rights organization has appealed to authorities in Punjab province to safeguard a Christian family accused of blasphemy amid what it describes as an orchestrated plot to seize their property.
Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) issued the call in a press release on February 24, asserting that the allegation against Sarwar Masih, a Christian resident of Gujranwala, stems from a malicious effort to facilitate unlawful land grabbing under the pretext of religious outrage. The organization urged provincial law enforcement to protect Masih and his relatives and to launch a transparent investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
HRFP’s fact-finding team visited Gujranwala to meet with Masih, his family members, local residents, police officials, and other stakeholders. After gathering statements and physical evidence, the group concluded that the blasphemy accusation had been weaponized as a means of justifying the illegal occupation of the family’s property.
Threats and Religious Tension
Masih told the investigators that his family has been living under threat since they attempted to reclaim their ancestral property. According to HRFP, one of the Muslim neighbors involved in the dispute has organized public demonstrations, displaying religious banners, reciting Quranic verses, and placing Islamic symbols — including images of the sacred city of Madina — on the disputed site.
“These actions appear calculated to frame the property issue as a matter of faith rather than ownership,” HRFP said, warning that such tactics risk inflaming religious sentiments and endangering local Christians.
Neighbors and eyewitnesses confirmed the Masih family’s long-standing ownership of the property. Muhammad Shahid, a 50-year-old Muslim resident who has known the family since childhood, told HRFP investigators that they have lived on the property for more than 70 years without any prior dispute or legal challenge regarding ownership.
Despite this, the group reported that the illegal occupants have issued fresh warnings. On February 23, they allegedly threatened to accuse anyone opening the property’s door of desecrating Islamic symbols. They also vowed that removing any banners would result in accusations of blasphemy — threatening violence and unrest throughout the neighborhood.
Pattern of Abuse
HRFP President Naveed Walter said the case highlights a troubling pattern in which religious accusations are misused to intimidate Christians and seize their homes.
“This is not the first time land grabbers have allegedly used threats of blasphemy accusations to silence Christian families and force them to abandon their homes,” he said. “Such abuse of blasphemy laws perpetuates fear, injustice, and deepens religious polarization in Pakistan.”
Walter reiterated his organization’s call for immediate state intervention and legal protection for the Masih family, emphasizing that misuse of blasphemy allegations undermines both rule of law and social cohesion in Punjab.
A Broader Crisis
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which criminalize defaming Islam or the Prophet Muhammad, carry punishments ranging from life imprisonment to death. While no executions have yet been carried out under these provisions, dozens of individuals — particularly from minority communities — have been imprisoned or charged in recent decades.
For local Christians in Gujranwala, the latest episode has created an atmosphere of fear. “People are frightened that even attempting to speak in defense of the Masih family could be taken as blasphemy itself,” one community member reportedly told HRFP investigators.
As tensions continue to simmer, HRFP’s appeal underscores a broader plea for justice and reform. It calls on Pakistan’s provincial and federal authorities to confront the misuse of blasphemy legislation and uphold the safety and dignity of vulnerable religious minorities who remain at risk of persecution under its shadow.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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