Pakistan has once again been ranked among the top 10 most dangerous countries for Christians, placing 8th on the Open Doors World Watch List 2026, which tracks the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for their faith. The report highlights that more than 388 million Christians worldwide are experiencing high levels of persecution and discrimination.

On 27 January 2026, Open Doors presented the World Watch List at a high-level event at the European Parliament in Brussels, hosted by the Chairs of the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Intergroup, MEP Miriam Lexmann (EPP) and MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR), and co-hosted by MEP Matej Tonin (EPP).

During the Q&A session, Joseph Janssen, a minority rights activist from Pakistan, highlighted the continued vulnerability of religious minorities despite legislative progress. He noted that although Pakistan’s Parliament passed the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act in May 2025, setting 18 as the minimum legal marriage age, minority girls continue to be abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to their abductors, with little to no implementation of the law. Courts continue to apply Sharia-laws over ordinary civil laws in such cases.

Janssen also drew attention to the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which are frequently used to target Christians through false accusations, leading to mob violence, church attacks, and prolonged imprisonment without justice. He cited the 2023 Jaranwala attacks, where at least 26 churches were burned down, noting that no perpetrators have been held accountable to date.

While the government has taken limited action against extremist groups such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Janssen emphasized that religious prisoners remain incarcerated, victims have not received justice, and impunity persists.

He further questioned when the European Parliament will follow up on its 2021 resolution on Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, and whether the EU will consider suspending Pakistan’s GSP+ trade status due to its failure to meet human rights obligations under international conventions.

The World Watch List 2026 underscores that Christians in Pakistan—who make up just 1.8% of the population—continue to face systemic discrimination, violence, forced conversions, bonded labor, and gender-based persecution, with little protection from the state.