Christian journalist persecuted, resigns in Pakistan

In yet another incident of religious intolerance in Pakistan, a Christian journalist quit Dunya News after she was allegedly persecuted for her faith by co-workers and insulted for not converting to Islam after marrying a Muslim, media reports said.

Gonila Gill (38), married to Husnain Jamil, was the only Christian journalist registered with the Lahore Press Club, reported AsiaNews.

"People talk rubbish about my faith. But I will not lose hope and remain steadfast in my religion," Gill was quoted as saying by the news website.

In Pakistan, several incidents of violation of religious freedom have come to fore recently.

According to a recent US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report, "Extremist groups and societal actors in Pakistan continued to discriminate against and attack religious minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadis and Shia Muslims."

Pakistan had failed to "adequately protect these groups and it perpetrated systematic, egregious religious freedom violations", it said.

Abusive enforcement of the blasphemy laws continued to result in "suppression of rights for non-Muslims, Shia Muslims, and Ahmadis", it said.