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Wives of imprisoned Christians in Pakistan can feel
just as trapped as their husbands in a daily struggle
to survive. Thankfully our partners stand with them,
offering spiritual as well as practical support
Pakistani Christian Nawab Bibi
is able to see her imprisoned
husband, Zafar Bhatti, only
once a month.
She tries to visit him regularly but
she has relocated from Islamabad
to Lahore, which is safer for her and
where she receives more support
but it is much further away from the
prison.
Zafar, a pastor, was falsely accused
of blasphemy in 2012 and has been
behind bars ever since.
HELPING
PRISONERS
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Inside
story: the
price that
prisoners’
families pay
had entailed for both of them. She is
also deeply discouraged because no
one seemed to be pursuing Zafar’s
case.
At the same time Nawab is under
pressure to vacate her home, which
is causing her a significant amount
of worry. Understandably she
wants somewhere that is private
but it is not easy to acquire suitable
accommodation.
Our partner, Lahore Evangelical
Ministries, continues to support
her, regularly visiting and providing
pastoral and also some financial help.
Zafar was charged with sending
blasphemous text messages in July
2012, an allegation he has denied. In
May 2017 he was sentenced to life
imprisonment even though the mobile
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Both he and his wife now have
significant medical needs: Nawab’s
poor hearing and eyesight are a daily
challenge for her, while her husband
struggles with diabetes, which has
led to swollen feet, as well as a heart
condition and stomach pain.
Arguably most concerning of all, he
appears to have lost hope of ever
being released.
When Release International visited
Nawab with our partner she wept as
she reflected on the years they had
been apart and the hardships that