By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A Christian man sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam in the eastern Pakistani town of Jaranwala will appeal the verdict, Worthy News learned Easter Monday.
The 36-year Pervaiz, also known as Kodu Masih, was convicted on Good Friday, April 18, after he allegedly desecrated the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims, said Tahir Bashir, a Christian lawyer involved in the case.
“I did his case in the Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) in the city of Faisalabad [which sentenced him to death],” Bashir told Worthy News. “I have filed an appeal in the High Court against the verdict of ATC Faisalabad,” he added.
“This verdict is yet another chapter in the ongoing persecution faced by the followers of Jesus Christ,” in Pakistan, a mainly Muslim nation, Bashir stressed.
He also received a fine of roughly $12,500 in local currency, sources said.
The ATC acquitted the other two accused, Daud William Masih and Shahid Aftab, also known as Boby Masih, giving them “the benefit of the doubt,” Christian trial observers noted. “The Christian community is going through a difficult time,” explained lawyer Bashir, who recently survived an assassination attempt
“Yet, I find solace in the thought that just as the heavy stone was rolled away from the tomb of Jesus Christ, so too will the heavy stones of injustice and persecution be lifted from the lives of people like Pervaiz,” he stressed.
ATTACKING CHRISTIANS
The claims of blasphemy, which the convicted Christian man denies, fueled attacks on a Christian neighborhood of Jaranwala in 2023 in which numerous houses and churches were torched and thousands of people forced to flee their homes.
Pakistan ranks 8th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where advocacy group Open Doors says Christians face the most persecution for their faith in Christ.
Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death in Pakistan, and several people, including Christians, have been languishing for years on death row.
While no one has been executed yet by the state, several suspects have been lynched to death by outraged mobs, often before they could face a court.
In the southern city of Karachi on Friday, a mob of hundreds of people beat an Ahmadi owner of a car workshop to death with bricks and sticks, Worthy News reported earlier. The victim, Laeeq Cheema, 46, was reportedly filming supporters of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party “when the mob started beating him and killed him,” police announced.
TLP is known as a far-right Islamist political party known for its violent protests against any changes to the blasphemy law in Pakistan or those deemed dangerous to its teachings, including even some Muslims.
Ahmadis are a minority group that has faced attacks in Pakistan on accusations of being heretical and involved in blasphemy by hardline Muslims.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
An explosion struck the Israel Center in the Dutch town of Nijkerk late Friday, police said, adding that no injuries were reported.
A U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran, American and Iranian officials said, while a separate U.S. aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf near the Islamic Republic, marking a sharp escalation in the ongoing war.
France has stepped up security at sensitive sites ahead of Good Friday after authorities foiled a bomb plot targeting U.S.-linked financial institutions, raising concerns about a heightened terrorist threat amid fears the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could inspire attacks in Europe.
A moderate earthquake struck parts of the U.S. state of California early Thursday, jolting residents awake across a wide area, including San Francisco, prompting thousands to report strong shaking to authorities but causing no immediate reports of major damage, officials said.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump sought to play down global fears that the war in Iran is spiraling out of control, saying the conflict is “very close” to completion while warning of fresh U.S. strikes within weeks.
Sirens echoed across central and northern Israel Wednesday evening as families gathered for Passover, when Iran unleashed a major ballistic missile barrage and Hezbollah fired rockets from Lebanon, forcing millions into bomb shelters during one of Judaism’s most sacred nights.
A swarm of unauthorized drones prompted a temporary lockdown at Barksdale Air Force Base earlier this month, raising fresh concerns about the vulnerability of America’s most sensitive military installations amid rising global tensions.