ICC Note:
Christians in Pakistan continue to live as a persecuted minority community in the South Asian country. Making up only 2% of Pakistan’s 180 million people, Christians are often discriminated against by their Muslim counterparts and are disproportionately the targets of false blasphemy accusations. In the final week of October, another Christian man was falsely accused of blasphemy and has been arrested. For this crime against Islam, this man could face life in prison or a possible death sentence. Please pray. 
11/3/2013 Pakistan (Salem News) – On October 29, we celebrated our wedding anniversary. After the celebration, lying in bed on a lazy autumn late evening, something dark and nasty reached out to me, my cell phone ringing.
One of my friends was on the line, they said that there is another blasphemy case in Wazirabad Gujranwala, the situation is tense there. I made a call to the local police officer, Sami Ullah, the Station House Officer (SHO), who told me details and confirmed that there is an incident and administration is on the ground looking into the matter.
With a Muslim majority, the country’s Christian population is quite small. Even though Pakistan is a democratic country, Christians are considered second class citizens especially in remote areas. Discrimination limits their work prospects and their influence in the country’s political and cultural matters.
Tariq Yousaf earns his livings by making firecrackers in Wazirabad Gujranwala. Wazirabad is famous for its cutlery items and Tariq works in a cutlery factory for a low salary and also works another job part time to make ends meet.
On October 27, Khurram, the complainant, bought a few firecrackers from Tariq and said he found Islamic verses in the product. He called on Tariq and reportedly beat him severely but with the intervention of the local elders, the issue was resolved temporarily. Later Khurram went to the police station and registered the First Investigation Report FIR No. 533/12 in Sadar Police Station, Wazirabad.
…
[Full Story]