Taliban rampage in Pakistan

Political, social, and religious groups have denounced the imposition of a traditional Muslim head tax on Christians and Sikhs living under the Taliban guns in the Swat region of Pakistan.

Various social, religious, political and trade organisations have given a dawn-to-dusk bandh call May 8 to protest against the imposition of jazia (a religious tax imposed on non-Muslims) on the minority Sikhs and Christian communities in the Swat Valley and Karachi of Pakistan, respectively. The shutdown call was given at a meeting of over 20 organisations in Jammu, including the All Jammu and Kashmir Catholic Sabha. The representatives of these organisations met at the Press Club Jammu May 7 evening to take stock of the situation after the imposition of jazia on minority Sikhs (Swat Valley) and threatening to Christians (Karachi) in Pakistan by the Taliban. The meeting was arranged by the Jammu Bar association. Voicing their concern over the harassment meted out to the minorities in the Swat Valley and Karachi, the meeting said over one billion people of India would not tolerate such acts at any cost. Expressing their solidarity with the Sikh, Hindu and Christian minorities in Pakistan, the meeting sought the intervention of international community in the matter and safety and security of minorities in the neighbouring country.
The meeting also decided to take out a march to the United Nations Observers Group for India and Pakistan’s Office here during the bandh where a memorandum will be submitted to its representatives seeking the world body’s intervention in stopping atrocities on minorities in the Swat valley and Karachi. The Talibanization of Karachi began with an attack of the armed Taliban on a Christian colony. The attack was well organised and heavy firearms were used by hundreds of Taliban to threaten unarmed Christian elders, women and children. The Taliban wrote slogans against Christianity on the church walls in Taseer town April 19 night, which horrified the Christian residents. On April 21, the local Christians took out a peaceful procession in vicinity of Taseer town to attract the attention of local administration for protection of residents, but no action was taken nor police guard were provided for the protection of church. On the same night, more than one hundred masked Taliban invaded Taseer Colony and attacked Christians with guns. The terrified Christians locked themselves in their homes but the Taliban pulled the elders out at gunpoint and dragged women by their hair into the streets. They loudly cried: “You infidels have to convert to Islam or die. Why you did you erase our warnings written on the walls of church and home doors? How dare you take out a procession against Taliban?” Two Christians who resisted were killed, execution style, before their families. In a two-hour-long raid on Taseer town, the Taliban also brutalized dozens of people. Nazir S Bhatti, president of Pakistan Christian Congress, condemned the attack and killing of Christians in Taseer and urged the government to provide protection to Christians in Pakistan who are unarmed and peace-loving citizen. Bhatti said though there were apprehensions of a Taliban takeover for months, no action was taken to stop the Talibanisation of Karachi.