Pakistani pastor dies days after acquittal on blasphemy charge that led to 13 years in prison

A Christian pastor who languished in a Pakistani prison for 13 years under a blasphemy conviction died from cardiac arrest days after his acquittal, multiple Christian media reported.

The clergyman, Zafar Bhatti, collapsed at his home in Rawalpindi two days after being released from custody following a high court’s decision to overturn his conviction, according to the Christian Post.

Bhatti, 62, had been Pakistan’s longest serving blasphemy convict. 

He was first jailed in 2012 and given a life sentence in 2017, which was later upgraded to the death penalty, according to the British Asian Christian Association (BACA). 

His death has heightened international scrutiny of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, especially their impact on Christians. 

The original accusation alleged Bhatti had sent text messages insulting the mother of the Prophet Muhammad, said media reports. 

The blasphemy charges mandate the death penalty for insulting Islam’s prophet under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s controversial penal code. 

Although no forensic evidence existed to support the accusation, Bhatti said he was tortured into confessing, according to the U.S. Human Rights Commission (USHRC).    

“Bhatti reportedly has diabetes and heart disease and experiences frequent headaches,” noted the USHRC in a briefing profile. 

Rights advocates agreed Bhatti endured torture and medical neglect during his incarceration.  

Over the intervening years, his appeals were repeatedly delayed as he remained in custody while his health sharply deteriorated, said Morning Star News.  

The pastor reportedly suffered two minor heart attacks in 2019, a more severe heart attack in 2020 and had complications causing severe vomiting in 2022, noted Morning Star.   

As early as 2019, doctors warned that a third cardiac event could be fatal, but petitions for his medical release were declined. 

By the start of 2025, prison medical staff had reportedly warned that Pastor Bhatti’s heart function had fallen to roughly 15%, leaving him with few viable treatment options, according to BACA. 

Bhatti’s release came earlier this month, when he was suddenly acquitted by a high court in Pakistan, with little explanation.  

He returned home hopeful but apparently too fragile to survive. His sponsors at BACA had arranged for medical services, but he died the evening before his Monday examination, said the Pakistan Christian Post (PCP). 

Photos published by Morning Star show him with his wife at the family home shortly before he suffered his final heart attack.  

“You cannot leave me alone, Zafar,” said Bhatti’s wife, Nawab Bibi, at his passing, reported PCP. “I did no wrong to you; I remained faithful, waiting for your return. Who will I turn to now? I want to die with you, Zafar.” 

Bhatti’s funeral will take place in Karachi, his hometown, according to PCP.  

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are under attack by rights advocates across the ideological spectrum.  

Blasphemy carries a mandatory death sentence under Pakistani law, but critics say the law is meant to be abused. 

Although no executions have been carried out, the laws have frequently been used to settle personal scores and target members of religious minority communities with devastating consequences, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a special report. 

“A mere accusation of blasphemy can be a death sentence: in the past decade, vigilantes have killed dozens of people in mob violence following blasphemy accusations,” added HRW. 

According to a 2024 report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a total of 17 Christians, including six women, were charged under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws that year, said the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN). 

“Despite all these, he [Bhatti] continued to fight for justice,” his lawyer told UCAN. 

“He needed a heart specialist, but our prisons only have general physicians. He is a victim of the system,” he added. 

Bhatti was also a victim of indifference, some say. 

BACA said that they repeatedly contacted the British government, including the U.K.’s minister of freedom of religion and belief because of the historical relationship they enjoy with the Pakistani government. 

“Unfortunately, these efforts met with very limited response,” said the group, according to the Church Times. 

Photo credit: British Asian Christian Association