Blasphemy accused pastor dies three days after acquittal and release from prison

A 62-year-old pastor who spent 13 years in prison on unfounded blasphemy charges died of a cardiac arrest at his home in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, Pakistan, just three days after he was released from prison following his acquittal by the Lahore High Court.

Pastor Zafar Bhatti, founder of the Jesus World Mission Church, was arrested in July 2012 after a Muslim cleric accused him of sending text messages which defamed the mother of the Prophet Mohammed. He was reportedly tortured in custody to confess to the crime, and in May 2017 he was sentenced to life imprisonment under Article 295(C) of the Pakistani Penal Code, which criminalises insulting the Prophet Mohammed.

Pastor Bhatti’s lawyer Saif ul Malook told UCANews that he had suffered from various health problems whilst imprisoned, including diabetes and heart disease, while Church In Chains reported that at least 47 separate appeal hearings were adjourned between Pastor Bhatti’s conviction in 2017 and his acquittal in 2025.

CSW sources report that Pastor Bhatti’s lawyer had also previously requested bail on medical grounds after the pastor suffered two minor heart attacks whilst in prison, adding that conditions in the Adiala jail where he was being held were not sufficient and may have led to him developing some of the health problems he experienced.

In January 2022 Pastor Bhatti’s sentence was increased to the death penalty by the Rawalpindi Sessions Court, however his conviction was finally overturned by the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court on 2 October 2025. He passed away three days later – on 5 October – at his home in Rawalpindi, and leaves behind his wife Nawab Bibi.

CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘CSW extends heartfelt condolences to Nawab Bibi and the loved ones of Pastor Zafar Bhatti, who was robbed of the last 13 years of his life by the Pakistani authorities under the country’s notorious blasphemy laws. Pastor Bhatti’s passing just days after his acquittal highlights just how unjust these laws really are, with those accused of the so-called crime of blasphemy often subjected to years and even decades of imprisonment under provisions that are vaguely worded and frequently misused to settle personal scores or target members of religious minority communities. We call on the government of Pakistan to make significant reparations to Pastor Bhatti’s wife Nawab, and once again to conduct an urgent review of the country’s blasphemy laws, moving to their full repeal in the long term.’