Toba Tek Singh, Pakistan: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) strongly condemns the blasphemy accusations against the two Christian sisters named Sonia Masih and Saima Masih. The incident took place in a village, Chak No. 304 J.B Gojra in District Toba Tek Singh. The accuser, Mohammad Haider, alleges that on August 6, 2024, in the afternoon, he witnessed Sonia Masih putting trash in a bag and taking it to an empty area to dispose of it. He claimed to have seen pages of the Quran in the trash, along with a phone number and the name of Emma Faryad Gill on the pages. The accuser Haider Ali stated further that later, on next day on August 7, 2024, at 11:30 in the morning, he joined Hammad Ali and Khan Suba to visit the girls' house to investigate the matter. During this visit, Sonia's sister Saima Masih said some inappropriate things, which further reinforced the accuser's confidence that both sisters had committed the blasphemy. Haider Ali claimed that he displayed the pages also to the police that they had found as evidence. The First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at the local police station of Saddar Gojra with number 924/24.

Naveed Walter president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) expressed his deep concerns over the false accusation of Sonia Masih and Saima Masih and arrests with blasphemy allegations against all other Christians. He emphasized that the new incidents are up because previous cases have been occurring for too long without any resolution. As like, last year, a horrific incident occurred in Jaranwala, where a violent mob set fire to and vandalized Churches and homes. Sadly, another incident just occurred in May 2024 where a mob allegedly violence to Nazir Masih and family, resulting in his tragic death. The Christians will never forget the tragic incidents in Gojra and Koriyaan in 2009 and in a same city an incident took place again where the Christian family has been attacked, Naveed Walter added.

Naveed Walter president of HRFP said that this cycle of violence through false blasphemy accusations must come to an end. It is crucial that Christians don’t feel safe and secure in their own country just because they are a minority. He said, being a minority should not deprive anyone of their rights, he added.

Naveed Walter urged that the government needs to prioritize the protection of minorities that’s unfortunately seems, yet the authorities are neglecting this issue, letting the perpetrators go unpunished while unfairly punishing innocent individuals as like in Jaranwala issue, where a Christian youth Ehsan Shan has accused and sentenced to death, but the real perpetrators were released from prisons and let go without facing any consequences. It's time for the government to take decisive actions against real culprits and facilitators of Gojra’s blasphemy accusation on two innocent sisters and bring justice to those who take the law into their own hands for the personal scores, Naveed Walter added.

Naveed Walter said, Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) team working closely on Sonia Masih and Saima Masih issue for more facts & helps with the provision of legal, and other immediate assistance as similar in many other recent issues, like Mariam Bibi case of Sahiwal who abducted on June 7, 2024, when she was on a way to employer's house for her work as house maid. Her father Rafique Masih visited HRFP Office, shared details that Muhammad Hamza with facilitators took her to Faisalabad, there he forcefully converted her to Islam and got married forcibly while she was already married with a Christian man. Natasha Razzaq is another case of Sahiwal, who is just a student of class 9th, sexually abused, harassed and attacked by Muhammad Bilal on May 6, 2024. Same as, Mariam Gulzar of Okara was abducted at gun point by Ali Raza, Mohammad Riaz and others on April 17, 2024, who took them to Quetta from where she fled back to home with a woman’s help. Asia Bibi of Faisalabad’s village was attempted to be abducted by Ali Azeem, Nabeel and Atif on June 26, 2024, when she was returning back from work to home, she started screaming, escaped successfully from the abuse and abduction through someone’s help. On June 13, 2024, in Eisa-Nagari, Faisalabad Nadeem Shahid and Lazar Masih’s house was attacked by a group of people belonging to political and religious backgrounds. They got injured, hospitalized and on June 21, 2024, both were arrested for false allegation of thefts linking with the unknown accused of another FIR, rather than the FIR had to be registered against attackers, Naveed Walter added further.