PR News:
California, USA – August 15, 2025:
The Pakistani Christian Advocacy Network International (PCANI) has condemned the killing of an interfaith couple in Karachi and called for urgent measures to protect religious freedom in Pakistan. According to police, Sajid Masih, a Christian man who converted to Islam, and Sana Asif, a Muslim woman, were shot dead near Clifton’s Sunday Bazaar in what authorities suspect was an honor killing, said the presser
PCANI President Augustine Gill described the murders as a “national disgrace,” noting that the couple had married legally after Sajid’s conversion. “Even after Sajid embraced Islam to marry Sana, they were hunted down and killed,” Gill said. “This highlights deep intolerance toward interfaith relationships and the double standard on religious conversion in Pakistan.”
Gill pointed out that while converts from Christianity to Islam are often celebrated—citing former cricketer Yousaf Youhana—those who convert from Islam to Christianity face severe persecution, including threats, imprisonment, or exile. He referenced the case of Aasia Bibi, who spent nearly a decade in prison on false blasphemy charges before her acquittal.
The organization is demanding the immediate arrest of all suspects, strict enforcement of laws preventing pardons for honor killings, explicit protections for adults to change religion freely, and the provision of safe houses and legal aid for interfaith couples. It also urged education campaigns to promote tolerance.
PCANI, a global advocacy group for Pakistani Christians, said it will mobilize its volunteer network to seek justice for the victims. “Religious freedom means the right to choose one’s faith without fear of violence or death,” Gill said. “We will not stand silent while lives are lost to intolerance and injustice.”