There is a systematic religious persecution and targeted harassment of Christians in Pakistan through the abuse of the National Identity Card system.

That’s according to the international human rights law firm, Alliance Defending Freedom.

They were commenting after a judge ruled in favour of a 24-year-old Christian brick kiln worker, Sufyan Masih, who had been fraudulently registered by his employer as a Muslim on his National Identity Card. His boss did this in an apparent attempt to enslave Sufyan, including withholding pay and prohibiting him from returning to his family.

Reversing the registration risked exposing Mr Masih to the charge of apostasy or being criminally prosecuted under Pakistan’s blasphemy statutes which could result even in a death penalty.

However, a judge ruled in March that Sufyan was a victim of fake “conversion”, and that his Muslim employers had fraudulently registered him as a Muslim in the national database.

Tehmina Arora, ADF International, commented that his is yet another example of how laws in Pakistan are “weaponized to punish and target Christians”.