A Christian father in Pakistan is trying without success to gain custody through the courts of his two pre-teen daughters who were kidnapped and made to convert to Islam. Shock has been expressed at the court's reaction.

Election issues fresh Kenya and Pakistan, and the larger picture of democratic electoral processes, formed the focus for three public statements adopted by the World Council of Churches' central committee meeting in Geneva.

Churches in Pakistan, condemning the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, have appealing for international help in eradicating terrorism in their country and securing its welfare in the aftermath of tragedy.

The Church of Scotland has resolutely rejected the 'war on terror' language being used in some political quarters in discussions about the future of Pakistan following the assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto.

Church leaders in Pakistan have joined the widespread strong condemnation of the recent assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who they saw as a voice for gretaer equality and freedom - including religious freedom.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned to the country to challenge the Pervez Musharraf regime, has been assassinated in a suicide attack which has killed 20 others and injured several more.

Pakistani Christians are expressing concern about the public order situation in their country following President Pervez Musharraf's widely criticised suspension of constitutional government and his declaration of a state of emergency.

Churches in Pakistan have condemned the bomb blasts that killed 139 people people and injured over 500 among the crowds thronging the streets to welcome former prime minister Benazir Bhutto home from her self-imposed exile.

Police in Pakistan say that the suspected killer of a Salvation Army worker, who held an administrative position in the group's Lahore office, had been arrested but had escaped from custody over the past weekend. Embezzlement is suspected.

Both churches and human rights groups are calling for the scrapping of Pakistan's blasphemy laws following the handing down of a death sentence and other sanctions against Christians in the Muslim-majority country.