Gojra tragedy: Govt to take action against senior officials

Dawn Report
Saturday, 24 Oct, 2009

About his proposed suspension, the district nazim of Toba Tek Singh argued that Punjab local government board officials were aware that district nazims enjoyed no powers to control law and order.

LAHORE: The Punjab government will initiate disciplinary action against the Toba Tek Singh district nazim and a number of senior officers who have been held responsible for negligence and dereliction of duty by a judicial inquiry conducted by Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman into the Gojra incident that occurred on Aug 1.

According to information released by the provincial government on Friday, the action would be taken against Toba district nazim Abdus Sattar, Faisalabad DIG Ahmed Raza Tahir, former Toba DCO Imran Sikandar, SSP Inkasar Khan, DSP Raja Ghulam Abbas, SI Liaquat, SI Mushtaq Ahmad and ASI Ibrar.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had soon after the incident announced that government officials found guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty would not be spared irrespective of their rank.

As per the government decision, the case of district nazim Abdus Sattar is being sent to the local government commission for immediate suspension and action under the relevant laws.

Faisalabad RPO/DIG Ahmad Raza Tahir and SSP Inkasar Khan have been made OSDs and their services placed at the disposal of the federal government with recommendations that they may be suspended immediately and disciplinary action be initiated against them.

Faisalabad Region’s special branch SP in-charge Ziaullah Niazi has been suspended with immediate effect and disciplinary action is being taken against him while Imran Sikandar Baloch, who was Toba DCO at that time, is being repatriated to the federal government with the recommendation that disciplinary action be initiated against him.

DSP Raja Ghulam Abbas, ASI Ibrar, SI Liaquat and SI Mushtaq Ahmad have been suspended and disciplinary action is being initiated against them.

Official sources said the report mentioned that the provincial home secretary and the IGP could have taken more stringent measures to control the situation.

TOBA TEK SINGH: Chaudhry Abdul Sattar told newsmen that district nazims had never been given administrative powers regarding the law and order situation.

He, however, said the then DCO had written to the DPO to impose Section 144 at Gojra. He said he immediately imposed a ban on gathering of five or more people when the DPO forwarded the request to him.

About his proposed suspension, the district nazim said that Punjab local government board officials were already aware that district nazims enjoyed no such powers as to control law and order.

The district nazim said he would explain his position when the board summoned him.

(Dawn)

Officers guilty of misconduct in Gojra riots appointed OSDs

LAHORE: The Punjab government has surrendered the services of three officers found guilty of misconduct in the Gojra riots. In the light of inquiry conducted by Justice Hameedur Rehman, the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) has surrendered the services of Faisalabad Regional Police Officer (RPO) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ahmed Raza Tahir, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Inkasar Ahmed Khan and Toba Tek Singh District Coordination Officer (DCO) Imran Sikandar to the federal government over negligence and misconduct. All three officers were appointed officers on special duty (OSD). The Punjab government requested the federal government to proceed on the charges of misconduct against the officers. staff report

(Daily Times)

Disciplinary action against officers for Gojra violence

Updated at: 2045 PST, Friday, October 23, 2009


LAHORE: Punjab government has decided to initiate disciplinary action against District Nazim Toba Tek Singh and a number of senior officers and officials who have been held responsible for negligence and dereliction of duty in the light of inquiry report of Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman regarding the incidents of violence in Gojra on August 1, 2009.

Those against whom action is being taken include District Nazim Toba Tek Singh, Abdus Sattar, DIG Faisalabad, Ahmed Raza Tahir, former DCO Toba Tek Singh, Imran Sikandar, SSP, Inkasar Khan, DSP Raja Ghulam Abbas, SI Liaqat, SI Mushtaq Ahmad and ASI Ibrar.

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif had announced after the Gojra incidents that government officials found guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty will not be spared, irrespective of their rank.

In accordance with the decision of Punjab government, the case of District Nazim Abdus Sattar is being sent to Local government for immediate suspension and action under the relevant laws.

RPO/DIG Faisalabad Ahmad Raza Tahir and SSP Inkasar Khanare being posted as OSD and their services are being placed at the disposal of federal government with the recommendations that they may be suspended immediately and disciplinary action be initiated against them.

SP Incharge Special Branch Faisalabad Region Zia Ullah Niazi has been suspended with immediate effect and disciplinary action is being initiated against him while Imran Sikandar Baloch who was DCO Toba Tek Singh at that time is being repatriated to the federal government with the recommendation that disciplinary action be initiated against him.

Similarly, DSP Raja Ghulam Abbas, ASI Ibrar, SI Liaqat and SI Mushtaq Ahmad have been suspended and disciplinary action is being initiated against them.

(The News International)

Pakistani Christians fear more extremist attacks

By Khurram Shahzad (AFP) – Oct 7, 2009

GOJRA, Pakistan — Almas Hameed lost seven relatives when an angry mob burnt down his home in a rampage against Pakistan's minority Christian community and lives in fear that more violence is looming.

Standing in the wreckage of his home in Gojra in Pakistan's political heartland of Punjab nearly two months after bloody riots left more than 40 houses torched, he recalls the moment his family died.

"We were hiding in our bedroom after our father was killed by gunfire. But they did not leave us -- they threw chemicals to burn the whole family," he told AFP.

"I lost my wife, two children, father, brother, sister-in-law and her mother in the attack," he said showing photos of his loved ones.

"We are not safe here, we are hiding from extremists who want to eliminate us from this town... We are still receiving calls from the extremists, they frequently give us death threats," said Hameed.

Gojra, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from industrial hub Faisalabad, was until recently famous only for producing a number of hockey stars, with no history of tensions between the 495,000 Muslims and 35,000 Christians.

But on August 1, a mob set upon Christian homes and churches, after rumours spread that pages of the Koran had been ripped up at a Christian wedding.

The exact trigger of the deadly rampage remains unclear, but a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and witnesses said that local mosques were spreading rumours.

"There is a group of extremists promoting a violent version of Islam which is dangerous for the country," said the Bishop of Faisalabad Joseph Coutts.

Tensions and fears escalated on September 11 when about 100 people, mostly youths, attacked a Catholic church in Sambrial district near the Indian border after accusing a Christian man, Fanish Masih, of desecrating the Koran.

Masih was arrested under the country's controversial blasphemy law but died in Sialkot jail. Police said he committed suicide but the community blames police torture for the death.

Christians, who make up less than three percent of Pakistan's 167 million population and are generally impoverished and marginalised, claim the blasphemy laws are used as an excuse to victimise them.

The law was introduced by former military ruler Zia ul-Haq, who passed tough Islamic legislation and whose rule from 1977-1988 was seen as critical in the development of extremist Islam in parts of Pakistan.

The blasphemy law carries the death penalty, although no one has yet been executed for the crime. Human rights activists want the legislation repealed, saying it is exploited and encourages extremism.

The government is at pains to play down the tensions amid heightened fears of widening unrest in a country already troubled by an insurgency by religious hardliners, and is trying to reassure the Christian community.

Shahbaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab province and brother of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, ordered reconstruction of the Christian homes and dozens of Muslim labourers are engaged in rebuilding the houses.

Kamran Michael, provincial minister for minorities affairs, said nearly 2.5 million dollars had been allocated for the rebuilding.

"We will make sure that peace returns to the area," said Michael, himself a Christian.

Despite government assurances, Hameed and his fellow Christians remain fearful, and doubt the government can guarantee their safety.

"Our Muslim friends are also helpless, they express their sympathies by telephone but they are conscious that their contacts with us will create problems and extremists would declare them non-Muslims," Hameed said.

Father Shabir, a priest in Gojra, said he just wanted the community to be able to live without fear that the blasphemy laws could be used against them.

"The government is trying hard to normalise the situation, but we are not safe until they take concrete steps to protect us," he said.

Talat Masood, a well-known analyst, said tensions between the communities had risen since the US-led "war on terror", but believes the Gojra riots did not symbolise a deep-rooted hatred between Muslims and Christians.

"It is more dictated by economic considerations like property disputes or the forcible sale and purchase of land," he said, adding that the blasphemy laws were often used to exploit Christians for financial gain.

(AFP)

PA unanimously condemns Gojra violence

* Minority MPAs criticise government over poor response to tragedy

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly (PA) has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the attack on Christian families in Gojra amidst criticism by minority members over the poor handling of the situation by the Punjab government.

The PA passed this resolution on Tuesday and demanded stern action against the perpetrators of violence.

Presenting the motion in the House, Michael said, “The House condemns the incidents that occurred in Koriyan village on July 30 and in Christian Colony, Gojra on August 1 and expresses complete solidarity with the relatives of innocent people who lost their lives. The House expresses complete solidarity with the Christian community in Pakistan and assures that minorities will be given complete protection.” After the resolution was passed, opposition MPA Mohsin Khan Leghari, on a point of order, asked Law Minister Rana Sanaullah to inform the House about the findings of the commission set up for judicial inquiry into the killings. Sanaullah said the committee had completed its work, however, he could not inform the House about the findings before discussing the issue with Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif.

Poor response: Minority MPAs were not satisfied despite the resolution being passed. MPA Pervaiz Rafique expressed complete dissatisfaction over the poor response of the government to the violence in Gojra. He said the killings had been portrayed as a ‘dispute’, but was actually an attack on minorities. He said the people who were involved in the attack had not been arrested so far.

(Daily Times, October 21, 2009)

Gojra inquiry report given to govt

Saturday, October 10, 2009
By By Our Correspondent
LAHORE

Lahore High Court (LHC) registrar Tahir Pervaiz on behalf of Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman has handed over the inquiry report of Gojra incident to the Punjab government.

According to a press statement on Friday, the unfortunate incident took place at Gojra on August 1,2009.

The competent authority had appointed Mr Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman as one-man inquiry tribunal on 2-08-2009 for finding out facts about the sad episode.

A full-fledged campaign was also launched through media to create awareness amongst the people, persuading them to appear before the Tribunal for recording their statements.

Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman commenced inquiry proceedings on August 3. He visited the place of the incident and, later on, held day-to-day inquiry proceedings at his Camp Office at Gojra.

The Tribunal held proceedings at the Principal Seat of the LHC only for a couple of days for recording statements of the local officials.

It recorded the statements of 580 affectees, and also the voluntary witnesses. It took two months to complete the comprehensive report.

(The News International)

BREAKING NEWS: Taliban Threatens To Kill More Christians

SARGODHA, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Fighters linked to the militant Taliban group have threatened to kill Christians and burn their homes in Pakistan's Punjab province if they don't meet their demands.

In a letter sent to the Christian community in the northeastern city of Sargodha, Taliban militants said Christians should convert to Islam, pay an Islamic tax imposed on religious minorities, known as 'Jizya tax', or leave the country.

If Christians refuse to accept these choices, Christians “will be killed, their property and homes will be burnt to ashes and their women treated as sex slaves,” said the letter, which was distributed to BosNewsLife and other media by rights group International Christian Concern (ICC). The Christians “themselves would be responsible for this,” the letter added.

News of the statement emerged as Pakistan's army prepared for a ground offensive elsewhere in Pakistan, in South Waziristan, following a string of brazen attacks, believed to be part of a Taliban campaign, that killed more than 150 people in the last two weeks.

IN CROSS-FIRE

Christians have been in the cross-fire or directly targeted by Islamic militants with links to the Taliban and al-Qaida. Militants have accused them of representing an evil Western religion and of supporting the U.S.-led war on terror.

It was not immediately clear which faction within the Taliban sent the threatening letter, but local Christian leaders apparently took the statement seriously.

Reverend Zaheer Khan, pastor of Maghoo Memorial Church, Reverend Aamir Azeem, pastor of United Christians Church and Reverend Zafar Akhter, pastor of United Presbyterian Church apparently each received a copy of threatening letter.

Other Christian institutions reportedly included St Peter’s Middle School, the Sargodha Institute of Technology, Sargodha Catholic High School, St John's Primary School and Fatima Hospital.

Besides these Christian institutions, the letter was also sent to a key center of Shiite Muslims, the Immam-Bar-Gha, ICC said. Shiites are a minority Muslim group in Pakistan where the majority of the population is Sunni Muslim.

"SOFT TARGETS"

ICC representative Jonathan Racho told BosNewsLife in a statement that “Christians in Pakistan are soft targets for attacks by Islamic extremists. Over the past four months alone, 12 Christians have been killed by Muslims due to their faith.”

Racho said ICC has been “alarmed by the increase in attacks against Christians in Pakistan. We urge Pakistani officials to take the threatening letters seriously and take measures to protect the Christians and their institutions from attacks.”

ICC said it had urged Christians around the world to contact Pakistani embassies in their countries and express concern about the situation. (With reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos).