POC 12 Parveen Barkat
The House of Sialkot Street
Introducting Parveen Barkat
Arrived as refugees in Bangkok: June 29, 2018
Refugee Status: “Refused” by UNHCR
Details on gaining Refugee Status is here.
In a house filled with secrets, one woman’s courage will defy the darkness
Parveen Barkat, a Catholic woman from Sialkot, Pakistan, recounts the events that forced her to flee the country due to religious persecution and threats from a Muslim tenant, Muhammad Aslam, who was supported by members of Sunni Tehreek, a radical Islamic organization. Parveen, a retired schoolteacher, lived alone in her family home after her parents passed away and her siblings married.
In October 2016, Parveen’s nephew, Daniel, arranged for Aslam to rent a room in her house. Over time, Aslam began making unwanted advances, pressuring Parveen to convert to Islam and marry him. When she refused, Aslam became increasingly aggressive, threatening to file a blasphemy case against her under Section 295C, which carries the death penalty in Pakistan. Despite Parveen’s attempts to distance herself from Aslam, he continued to harass her, even bringing members of Sunni Tehreek to her home to intimidate her.
In May 2018, Aslam and two Sunni Tehreek imams attempted to forcibly drag Parveen out of her home while intoxicated. She managed to escape with the help of neighbors and fled to her sister Ruth’s house in Lahore. However, Aslam and armed extremists tracked her down, storming Ruth’s home and threatening the family. They accused Parveen of being a “Murtad” (apostate) and warned that anyone sheltering her would face death under Sharia law.
Fearing for their lives, Parveen, Ruth, and their family went into hiding. With the help of a travel agent, they arranged for tourist visas to Thailand. On June 29, 2018, Parveen and her family flew to Bangkok, seeking safety and international protection from the ongoing religious persecution in Pakistan.
More information…
Parveen Barkat — Detailed Statement
Explore Other Cases…
Back to POC homepage:
First published: 2025/08/01/
Latest revision: 2025/09/10/