The bells of Belgrade’s St. Sava Temple rang as Serbian Orthodox Church officials gathered in the crypt on February 18 to elect a new patriarch…Members of Pakistan’s Baluch minority held a sit-in protest in Islamabad on February 18, accusing the government of detaining their relatives illegally
In Pakistan, relatives are protesting the enforced disappearances of their loved ones. Some have been missing for years
Pakistan’s government began administering the COVID-19 vaccine this week, saying it’s on track to achieve its targets. As VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad, the opposition says the government is doing too little, too late
All religious organizations and leaders have condemned the torture inflicted on the Christian nurse in hospital. The Government of Pakistan will not tolerate these abuses”. This is what Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Religious Harmony said. Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Muslim cleric at the head of the Council of Ulema of Pakistan, expressed outrage and sorrow for the violent treatment of Tabitha Nazir Gill, a Christian accused of blasphemy on January 28 while working at Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, promising a thorough investigation into the incident, in order to verify any abuse
Pakistan’s first-ever international snowboarding championship has concluded with successes being chalked up by both Pakistan and Afghanistan…Dozens of teachers protested in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on January 25 to demand the cancellation of a government order to transfer them back to cities in the provinces…Hundreds of university students gathered in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar on January 22 to demand that they be allowed to write their exams online instead of being forced to take them in person in examination halls
Pakistan is fencing its border with Afghanistan for security. The move is unpopular with local tribes who say it impacts their relations and livelihoods
Pakistan is concluding its phase three human trials of a Chinese company’s coronavirus vaccine. Health officials say the test of CanSinoBio’s vaccine are nearly complete and show promise. Pakistan is one of seven countries testing the Chinese vaccine
The merciless murder of Abida and Sajida is a tragedy that shows how the lives of religious minorities in Pakistan are held by a thread or is worthless. Rape, kidnappings, forced conversions and even murders of young Christian girls are worrying phenomena
We appreciate the government’s renewed commitment to the protection of Pakistan’s religious minorities, especially the protection of those falsely accused and the protection of innocent underage girls trapped in forced conversions and forced marriages. The initiative of the Government Office for Interreligious Harmony will certainly strengthen peace and harmony between people of various religions and will lead people of religious minorities not to live in fear “
Hundreds of migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries have been sleeping outdoors in freezing weather since a fire destroyed part of the Lipa camp in northwest Bosnia-Herzegovina. The military is rebuilding the camp to provide suitable winter shelter, but there’s no timeline yet for when migrants will be able to move in