A Christian altar boy in Pakistan has gone into hiding and could face the death penalty after he was accused of posting content on Facebook that some Muslims found offensive. He has denied the allegations and claims his own uncle created a fake account in his name. 

Religious freedom advocates are raising an alarm about the case of Asher Bhatti, a resident of the Nishter neighborhood in Lahore, accused of blasphemy along with his uncle. 

A police complaint was filed against Bhatti and his uncle Samuel Paul on Sept. 16 by a resident named Muhammad Umair, who alleges the “Asher Bhatti” Facebook account shared material that blasphemed the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The complaint alleged that the content caused public outrage among the local Muslim population. 

Umair seeks prosecution of Bhatti and his uncle under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s penal code, a provision of the blasphemy law that is punishable by death penalty or life in prison. 

Religious freedom advocates have long criticized Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, saying Muslims too easily abuse them to settle personal scores or target religious minorities. 

According to advocate Faraz Pervaiz, who is outspoken about Pakistan’s human rights issues, Bhatti served as an altar boy at St. Matthew’s Church in Awan Market. 

In a statement shared with The Christian Post, Pervaiz stated that Bhatti filed a counter-complaint with the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency, claiming that the Facebook account in question is fake and was created by his paternal uncle, Paul, an asylum seeker in Thailand, to frame him.

The uncle, who is allegedly tied to the radical group Jihadi Allama Muhammad Rashid Madni Hamadi, allegedly has financial motives and held personal enmity toward Bhatti, Pervaiz noted. 

Having fled from Pakistan to Thailand in 2014 due to threats against his life and family, Pervaiz said that the same jihadi group had previously placed a $20,000 bounty on his head and led protest rallies to incite violence against his family.

“I, Faraz Pervaiz, strongly assert that many individuals threatening my life are Pakistani refugees registered with UNHCR in Thailand,” Pervaiz said. “Muslim refugee women revealed my location, which led to a brutal attack by a group of Muslim refugees, including Samuel Paul, who also assaulted my niece.”

In his NCCIA application, Pervaiz said Bhatti claimed to have received threats from Paul via Facebook.

“For his safety, Bhatti has gone into hiding at an undisclosed location. The situation in Nadeem Chowk, Awan Market, remains tense to this day,” Pervaiz added. 

“UNHCR Thailand must urgently intervene to stop Samuel Paul — a merciless extremist and self-serving predator who endangers innocent lives for personal gain and monetary rewards — from further harming vulnerable families fleeing persecution from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. His refugee status offers no protection against prosecution for such crimes.”

Nasir Saeed, the director of the United Kingdom-based Centre for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement, said Bhatti’s case is “another tragic example of how Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are being grossly misused.”

“Asher Bhatti is innocent, yet he has been forced into hiding because of a false accusation,” Saeed said in a statement shared by International Christian Concern.  “Sadly, his case is not unique — thousands of innocent people, including women and children, are currently languishing in prisons under false blasphemy charges. Several others have been murdered by vigilantes before their trials could even take place.”

Father Lazar Aslam, a member of the Pakistan Committee for Peace, is among the advocates seeking a solution to the case. 

“As has often happened in other cases, Bhatti’s life is now in danger, even before the start of the judicial process, as he could be attacked or lynched,” Aslam told Fides. “As members of the Committee for Peace, we join together in prayer and solidarity, asking the Lord to protect Asher Bhatti and grant him justice, so that he does not become another victim of hatred and injustice. We will continue to raise our voices because faith should never be a reason for imprisonment or death.”

Pakistan, which has a 97% Muslim population, ranks as the eighth-worst country when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors Internationl's 2025 World Watch List.