Three Christian Children Killed by Poisoned Sweets, Five in Critical Conditions
The tragedy occurred in the Christian neighbourhood of Qila Sahib Singh, Punjab, Pakistan.
According to some sources, an unidentified man handed out poisoned sweets to the children.
Others claimed that poisoned sweets were found hanging from a parked rickshaw. The poison was initially distributed by the Hafizabad Municipality as part of an operation to eliminate stray dogs.
The deaths of these children come in a wider context of increasing violence and persecution of Christians across Pakistan.
More than 25 churches were burned down in Jaranwala in 2023, and Christians continue to be targeted by a combination of Islamic violence and state indifference to their plight.
Anwar Kenneth, Zafar Bhatti and Shagufta Kiran remain imprisoned on death row under blasphemy laws similar to Western secular blasphemy laws.
Most Christians in Pakistan are relegated to dangerous and poorly paid jobs such as sanitation workers, often without contracts, security or legal recourse.
Exclusion from education, housing and public services is the norm.
Christian women and girls face additional vulnerabilities, including forced conversions and marriages.
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