An excerpt from the book The Targeting of Minority ‘Others’ in Pakistan
The country’s Christian population faces increasing threats to their lives from the Pakistani Taliban, as well as other Muslim extremists, who demand that they convert to Islam. At village level, Christians are also vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and detention, as they have limited access to justice … In one high-profile case, [Christian] Asia Bibi became the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy. Several people accused of blasphemy” have “died in custody, or were murdered by unknown individuals when they were granted bail or acquitted … Christian and Ahmadi communities claim that their members are more likely to be abused in prison. Minority prisoners generally afforded poorer facilities than Muslims and often suffered violence at the hands of fellow inmates. Police reportedly sometimes torture and mistreat those in custody and, at times, engage in extra-judicial killings …