In Pakistan, Christians and other religious minorities face intense pressure from both the state and Islamist extremist groups.

Last year saw a continuing increase in the abduction, forced marriage, and forced conversion of Christian and Hindu girls, who, as a demographic, lack adequate legal protection — and the perpetrators of these crimes usually go unpunished. There have also been several notable attacks on church property and Christian communities. In Jaranwala, for example, a mob of 7,000 destroyed 26 churches and chapels, as well as hundreds of homes, in response to false accusations of blasphemy against two local Christians. To protect the faithful from this repeated violence, security measures in Pakistan must be expanded.