Christians Targeted in Pakistan

The ACLJ continues to work with organizations to protect the rights of Christians globally. The recent deadly attack on Christians in Pakistan is attracting the world's attention. Christianity Today reports on the impact this deadly violence may have on the country's blasphemy laws. You can read that story here.

At the same time, the ACLJ continues to partner with a Pakistani-based Christian organization, the Community Development Initiative (CDI). Images of the destruction can be found here.

CDI Executive Director, Asif Aqeel, provided this exclusive report to the ACLJ, providing details surrounding the recent murder of Christians in Pakistan:
On July 30, 2009, more than 500 Muslim Extremists attacked and burned more than 45 Christian houses - killing at least seven Christians. They also desecrated two churches in Korian village, Gojra. Community Development Initiative (“CDI”) - which partners with the ACLJ - dispatched a fact-finding team after hearing the news.

The incident was triggered by an announcement in the local mosque that Christians desecrated Qur’an during a wedding ceremony on July 25. One day before the incident, a Muslim family went to the bride’s house and accused them of desecrating the Qur’an. The Christians denied the false allegation, but the Muslim family began beating them.The local mullah then gave the Christian “infidels” a choice: leave the village or they would die. “Let’s teach the infidels’ an exemplary lesson,” the mullah announced from his mosque. Hundreds of Muslims answered the call. They attacked Christian houses, first looting all valuables, then setting the houses on fire. The Christians fled, leaving everything behind.

CDI saw the wreckage. Entire roofs had collapsed. Only an elderly couple remained there because Sharif Masih (80) was paralyzed. His wife, Hanifa Bibi (73), begged the mobsters to spare their lives. The mobsters then left them. A reporter from a private TV channel told CDI that banned Muslim religious groups like Jammat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Sunni Tehreek (ST) were involved in the attack. He also informed CDI that after the houses were set on fire, firefighters could not reach the scene because the assailants blocked the highway.

On August 1, Muslims organized a demonstration to protest the alleged desecration of Qur’an. The angry mobsters were demanding the arrest of the people responsible for profaning the Qur’an in Korian village.
CDI’s Napolean Qayyum watched as the mob became violent and started firing into the air. The angry protesters also blocked railway lines, stranding the train in the station. Quyyum then watched as Provincial Minister of Minorities, Kamran Michael, and former Chief Minister, Dost Muhammad Khosa arrived at the scene, trying to calm down the attackers. But they did not listen; instead, they beat several prominent figures. The police fired tear gas to disperse the mob, but it did not work. The attackers ran toward the Christian town to wreak havoc. They attacked the Christian Town, in Gojra, Toba Tek Singh district.
The Muslims looted more than 100 houses and torched 40 more. At least seven charred bodies of men, women, and children were found in the rubble. The villagers also found a dead body of a three-year-old girl in the fields. They told CDI members that the mobsters brutally raped her, resulting in her death.
The assailants involved members of the banned outfit Sipah-e-Suhaba. They were fully equipped with automatic weapons and highly flammable materials. This was later confirmed by the Federal Minister of Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti. The banned group looted houses and then used the flammable materials to burn them. There were women, children, and men inside.

The CDI’s Qayyum was inside the Catholic Church’s compound when people began pouring in, fearing for their lives. They were also mourning for their missing family members. Pakistani TV channels showed visuals of charred bodies being removed from beneath the rubble.
Communication with the Authorities

CDI’s Qayyum informed the President’s office of the atrocities. The presidential spokesperson and former senator, Farhatullah Babar, said that the President had taken strict notice of the incident. He said that the President had asked the provincial government to launch an inquiry into the matter. But the committee did not include any member from the Christian community, and no police complaint was registered against the attackers.

The CDI team also called Farahnaz Ispahani, member of the National Assembly, and the wife of Mr. Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States. She told the team that President Asif Ali Zardari had taken a strict note of the incident and had directed Federal Minister of Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, to visit the area and express sympathy for the victims.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Qayyum called the Interior Minister, Rehman Malik’s, secretary. Qayyum suggested that Rangers (paramilitary troopers deployed along the border) should be deployed, or curfew should be imposed, to deal with the situation. Qayyum also told him that the police were not cooperating with the Christians. Malik responded that the Interior Ministry had taken note of the incident. A day earlier, CDI called the District Police Officer (“DPO”), who told us that no church or Christian colony fell into the rally’s route, which was a blatant lie. The DPO also said that he and his police officials knew very well how to deal with the situation, but later said that the mob of several thousand men was too big for the police to control. After calling the interior minister the CDI also called the President’s office, requesting that Rangers be deployed to the area; however, no help was sent until it was too late.

The CDI also called the firefighters’ office. After several attempts, we finally were able to talk to them. However, an official at the firefighters’ office told us that all firefighters were busy in extinguishing fire at a gas station. He said that he did not know about the incident, but that a team would be dispatched. The firefighters and rescue teams arrived only after the attackers were gone. The police remained a silent spectator, lulled the angry protestors for a while, and then fled from the scene. The unrestricted ransacking took place for two to three hours.

Efforts to File Police Complaint Against Mobsters

The bodies of the seven Christians were kept in the mortuary of Civil Hospital, Gojra, where CDI’s Qayyum helped the families of the deceased to receive the bodies in the morning. He also gave final bathing to the bodies in the mortuary, which is a custom in Pakistan.

After the bodies were brought to the Christian Town, the administration forced Christians to conduct funerals quickly. When the Christians saw that the government was using delay tactics, refusing to file any charges against the attackers, the Christians took all seven bodies to the railway track and told the administration that they would not leave until their demands were met.
Prominent Christians told the crowd that a First Information Report (“FIR”) had been registered and that the protest should be called off. The people, however, would not stop the protest until they saw a copy of the FIR containing the names of the mobsters and the negligent police officials. Finally, the FIR was registered against 20 named and 800 unidentified people.
Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah announced that, after investigation, no desecration of Qur’an had taken place.

Actions taken by the Authorities

The President, the Prime Minister, the Interior Minister, and the Chief Minister of the Punjab all took notice of the incident. They asked the local authorities to submit reports of the incident. The Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court took suo moto notice. Further, the President also issued an order to deploy Rangers, but only after the incident was over.

In an attempt to compensate the victims, President Asif Ali Zardari has announced 0.5 million rupees ($6,250) will be given to each martyr’s family, and 300,000 rupees to the people whose houses were burned. The report submitted by the Minorities Minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, says that the Punjab government and local administration failed to stem the violence. It adds that additional troops were not sent to help the local authorities in Gojra, despite the advice of the Minorities Minister.

Humanitarian and Legal Assistance by CDI

The CDI, with the assistance of Operation Blessing, is stepping in to care for those whom the Pakistani Government has neglected. These two organizations are providing food and electric fans to the effected community. Humanitarian assistance in these cases strengthens faith of people and our ability to help them.

After the government initiated a judicial inquiry, CDI retained an attorney to facilitate the witnesses for the inquiry. CDI remains thankful to the ACLJ for enabling us to provide legal assistance to the persecuted Christian community.

(ACLJ)