Pastor Roshan Pervaiz was the chief executive of the “Hallelujah Evangelistic Association” in Lahore, in which his son Faraz Pervaiz was actively involved.In October 2006, Pastor Pervaiz, organised a “Gospel Music and Peace Award Show” in Lahore and was subject to pressure to cancel the event as well as to verbal threats from the Governor of Punjab, who requested the Pastor to stop preaching Christianism in any form.

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On 21 November 2009, Faraz Pervaiz met at the Karachi airport an individual (Muhammad) during a trip to Malaysia, who tried to convince him to convert to Islam. Mr. Pervaiz refused. During the discussion, the individual threatened him with filing a case for blasphemy before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan, taking advantage of his personal Connections with FIA officers.

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In June 2011, the pastor organized another cultural event, the “Benazir Peace Award”, in collaboration with a national NGO (Save Humanity Organization).Pastor Pervaiz and Faraz Pervaiz were subject to death threats by the director of The NGO after having refused to attribute the Peace Award to Chief of Jamaat ud Dawah and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based Islamist group included by the United Nations Security Council in 2005 in the Isil and Al-Quaida Sanctions List.

A few days later a mob broke into the pastor’s house, and beat and ill-treated him, his son and their family for having refused to award

The mob forcibly took the pastor and his son out of their house and brought them to the police station of Lahore, where a pre-dated and false First information Report (FIR) was produced. Both men were arrested and detained on criminal charges of “Dishonestly issuing a cheque”, which was emitted as a guarantee (art. 489-F of Pakistan Criminal Code). On 27 August 2011, a Court

in Lahore established that the First Information Report (FIR) had been lodged on 31 January 2008 whereas the cheque had been dishonoured on 21 November 2009, making the case doubtful. Both men were released.

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In February 2013, the pastor fled Pakistan in the context of continuous threats in relation to his work as leader of the Halleluiah Evangelist Association; part of the family followed him in February 2014. On 9 March 2013, the pastor’s son went to Joseph Colony, a Christian

neighbourhood in Lahore, to support the residents after an enraged crowd attacked the neighbourhood and set fire to dozens of houses, accusing a Christian sanitation worker of blasphemy. A District Council Officer urged Faraz Pervaiz to stop assisting the residents and threatened him to leave immediately the neighbourhood “or I will burn you in this fire”.

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In May 2013, the Hallelujah Evangelist Association financially supported 20 poor women in Kushab, with funds provided by a private international company ( ) and individuals. After the report and the photographs of the cash distribution were posted on social media, Faraz Pervaiz received threats by phone from unknown individuals, who asked to be given the money

coming from the donations.

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On 20 June 2013, dozens of people, including Muslim extremists and vigilantes, started to gather before Faraz Pervaiz’s house. The latter called the police to ask for protection. The police arrived at the scene but took no action. The group of individuals broke into the house, beat Faraz Pervaiz and members of his family and dragged them by force out of the house to the Nishtar Police station (Lahore). At the Police station, Faraz Pervaiz and his family were ill-treated and threatened by individuals and police officers. Mr. Pervaiz was sent to FIA and investigated about the origin of the money distributed in Khushab. Apparently, one of the FIA inspectors happened to be a relative of the individual met by Mr. Pervaiz in November 2009 at Karachi airport. That man was reached out by the FIA investigator by phone, who confirmed that Mr. Pervaiz, “who Blasphemed against the Prophet, had been captured”. The FIA officer threatened Mr. Pervaiz of lodging a FIR for blasphemy. Mr. Pervaiz was released after six months of detention on 20 December 2013. He left Pakistan in April 2014,

fearing possible judicial persecution for blasphemy.

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In March 2017, a complaint (AD/FIA/GRT/17) was submitted by individuals to the FIA against unknown persons running and posting on a Facebook page called “Molvi Burqa”. The page contained a post that included a video published by Faraz Pervaiz, where he expressed criticism towards Pakistan, Islamic extremism, and the role of Islam in the Pakistani Government. Moreover, on 8 March 2017, a FIR was lodged by the Station House Officer at Ramna Police Station in Islamabad, against unknown individuals running and posting on three social media pages (under the names of Bhensa, Roshni, Mouchi) on the directions of the Islamabad High Court to initiate legal actions against blasphemers on social media. Mr. Pervaiz video was shared on the aforementioned pages. The individuals were accused under 295-A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 295-B (Defiling … of the Holy Qur'an) and 295-C (Use of derogatory remarks … in respect of the Holy Prophet) of the Pakistani Penal Code. According to art. 295-C “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine”

On 19 March, a similar FIR - nr. 07/2017 - ordered by the Islamabad High Court, was registered by FIA for different crimes under Chapter XV of the Pakistani

Penal Code (“of offences relating to religion”), the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act of 2016 and the Anti-terrorism ACT – ATA [namely U/S 295-A,295-B, 295-C, 298-A, 298-B, 109 PPC R/W Section II of PECA 2016 and section 6(F), 7(B), 8 and 9-ATA of FIA NR3C]. Charges under ATA include violating the prohibition of acts intended or likely to stir up sectarian hatred,which encompasses, the use of insulting words (section 8 of ATA) as well as inciting hatred and contempt on religious, sectarian or ethnic basis to stir up violence or cause internal disturbance (section 9 of ATA).

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On 14 November 2017, a proclamation order was published in major newspapers and media against proclaimed offenders in case FIR nr. 07/2017, who included Faraz Pervaiz. Accused were proclaimed offenders as absconding after the issuance of an arrest warrant.

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On 29 August 2018, demonstrations in Islamabad were organized before the Netherlands Embassy by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party to protest against an

initiative undertaken by a Member of Parliament of the Netherlands, where contestants were called to draw depictions of the Prophet Mohammed. Some protesters in the rallies carried photos of Faraz Pervaiz, his family and the logo of his church. The signs carried in the rally included threats against “blasphemer” Mr. Faraz Pervaiz and his family. Allegedly, in 2018 supporters of Jama’at-ud-Da’wah affixed posters with the picture of Mr. Faraz Pervaiz in different streets and cities of Pakistan, offering a bounty of 10 million PKR (around 50,000 USD) “for a Muslim who will kill Mr. Pervaiz”. The posters qualified Faraz Pervaiz as a “new emerging blasphemer appeared on social media, whose anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan activities were spreading rapidly”; posters affixed also clearly stated that “there is only one punishment for insulting the Prophet. Sever the head from the body! Sever the head from the body”. Other messages went viral in February 2019 and January 2020, where individuals publicly requested to kill Mr. Pervaiz abroad due to his blasphemous activity on internet, announcing bounties of 50,000 USD to 100,000 USD. Similarly, during a rally from Rawalpindi to Islamabad on 11 September 2020 against Charlie Hebdo, purportedly dozens of demonstrators publicly

asked with slogans, banners, and photos to behead Mr. Pervaiz.

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On 12 July 2019, a prominent Pakistani youth leader and media activist, with thousands of followers on Twitter, posted a video in which he called for loyal Muslims to find Mr. Faraz Pervaiz and bring him to the authorities of the State in which he used to live. He accused him of blasphemy and terrorism. In the

same video, he posted the address where Mr. Faraz Pervaiz and his family members were living abroad. In 2019, videos were also disseminated on social media by the President of the State Youth Parliament of Pakistan and President of Pakistan Nazriati Party, which indicated the address of Mr. Faraz Pervaiz and requested Pakistanis leaving abroad to kill him.

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Similarly, in July 2019 a Muslim neighbour of Mr. Faraz Pervaiz disseminated through Facebook and WhatsApp a message where the whereabouts of Mr. Pervaiz were disclosed, calling Muslims to capture him and “deliver him to hell”. Mr. Faraz Pervaiz began to receive an increased number of threats by phone and was attacked physically by unknown people.

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On 8 January 2021, an Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad issued a perpetual non-bailable arrest warrant against Faraz Pervaiz as an absconder. In

compliance with Art. 295-C of the Penal Code and Section 7G of ATA, the Court also condemned to death three individuals involved in the same case

(FIR nr. 07/2017), for disseminating blasphemous material on social media and internet websites (according to Art. 295 C of the Pakistani Penal Code and Section 7g of ATA).