The Taliban has turned on Christians with a vengeance for the ongoing army offensive against the Islamic militants in Pakistan.
Furious over the U.S. and Pakistan's military operations in Swat Valley, the Taliban attacked a Christian colony, causing fear and panic among its members who are joining 200,000 others leaving the town.
In Karachi city, a growing foothold of the Taliban, there were reports of attack on a Christian slum, where the hardcore extremists indulged in violent acts.
Pastor Salim Sadiq of Holy Spirit Church in Karachi, during a telephonic conversation with Christian Today, said Christian homes were pounded by the Islamic extremists who have vowed to avenge for "the suffering of their brotherhood in NWFP area."
"They barged into our homes shouting "death to infidels” and beat us, hurling murderous threats if we don’t convert to Islam," he said.He lamented that, "Christians have no voice here. We have been suffering from ages like this under the staunch Muslim militants who rape our daughters, burn our churches and raze down our homes."
"Although the majority Muslims need not worry about the military offensive on Taliban, for Christians who are so microscopic and fragile, it is a serious concern, as it will amplify the Taliban and foment dreadful violence on us."There is rising fear that Taliban insurgents will spread to main city with Swat being just 100 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan's capital.Sadiq predicts that a ruinous wave on Christians is in the offing.
The Associated Press on Thursday quoted Rev. Richard D'Souza of St. Jude Church in Karachi, saying, "In Pakistan today there is a lot of feeling of fear by all the minorities."In D'Souza's church after young Christians protested the anti-Christian graffiti on the church walls, 25 strong men with long beards went on a rampage, beating Christians, pelting stones and setting fire to homes. An 11-year-old boy was killed during the violent spree.
"The police never helped. None of us had weapons. The police just stood there," AP quoted 26-year-old Imran Masih, who spent 10 days in the hospital after a bullet pierced his neck. The U.N., meanwhile, said it had registered more than 800,000 Pakistanis fleeing fighting between the army and the Taliban.
Calling for massive aid operation, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, hinted that plights of displaced people might spark further conflict."If you are not able to cope with the challenges posed by such an overwhelming number of people displaced, in communities that have not the economic capacity to absorb them, and if the very serious humanitarian response is not organised, this population will become a huge factor of destabilisation."
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Murdered Pakistani girl may not receive justice
The murderers of a young Pakistani Christian girl may never be brought to justice as authorities end their search for her killers. Nisha Javid, nine, was walking near her home in the Punjab on Maundy Thursday this year when she was kidnapped, gang raped, beaten to death and left in a canal. Christians in the area believe the attack was meant to intimidate them, coming as it did the day before Good Friday. Now police have stopped looking for the perpetrators of the crime, reports Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
Christians in Pakistan often struggle to receive justice in the legal system as their testimonies are not regarded as valid compared to Muslim testimonies. A Christian man’s testimony is worth half of that of a Muslim man, while a Christian woman’s testimony is worth a quarter of a Muslim man's, meaning that crimes committed by Muslims against Christians often go unpunished, especially in cases of rape.
Recently another child, a boy aged 11, was killed by anti-Christian groups near his church. According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada many such attacks are not planned but happen when Christians get in the way of Muslims.
(Christian Today)
Christians in Pakistan often struggle to receive justice in the legal system as their testimonies are not regarded as valid compared to Muslim testimonies. A Christian man’s testimony is worth half of that of a Muslim man, while a Christian woman’s testimony is worth a quarter of a Muslim man's, meaning that crimes committed by Muslims against Christians often go unpunished, especially in cases of rape.
Recently another child, a boy aged 11, was killed by anti-Christian groups near his church. According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada many such attacks are not planned but happen when Christians get in the way of Muslims.
(Christian Today)
A Muslim raped Christian girl for four years after pledge on Quran to marry
Lahore, Pakistan: May 14, 2009. (PCP) A Christian girl Christian girl named Fozia aged 27 years, has been sexually abused by a Muslim for four years. She was in physical relation with Mohammad Asif who was promising to marry her. She lived with Asif without marriage for four years. She got three pregnancies, first she gave birth to a baby son (presently aged of one year and six months). She had miscarriage on her second pregnancy and third time she managed for abortion because the baby was died in her womb because Asif tortured her. Mohammad Asif got married with a Muslim girl in the first week of March 2009. Fozia approached Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP) for help on April 17, 2009.Fozia belongs to a poor Christian family residing at Youhanabad Lahore. She has four brothers and three sisters. Her father is a laborer while brothers also do some labor work. Her mother and one of younger sisters do domestic work in the houses on wages. She was 15 years old when she started working a housemaid with her mother.
Fozia told all about the occurrence, she said “In the year 2005, I was doing job as a domestic worker in the house of a Muslim (in a posh area of Lahore known as Gulberg). I was doing 24 hours job for 1500 PKR (22 U.S Dollars) per month. On 5th May 2005, a Muslim named as Asif met with me in the neighboring house of my work place. He was doing some repairing work of sofas. I asked him if he can help me to buy a secondhand sofa for my family. Asif asked me to go with him so that he can show a sofa at some place. He deceivingly took me to a hotel and raped me. After raping, he promised that he will marry me. He took Quran in his hands and said that Quran will be witness of his promise and he can turn from every word but he cannot turn from this promise because Quran is witness and he is Muslim. I trusted him when he gave me pledge on Quran. He accommodated me into a rented house. I asked him to introduce me in his family but he always refused and said that he cannot introduce me because I am Christian. He abused me sexually for four years. Whenever I asked him to marry me, he replied that he need money for court marriage, and that he will arrange very soon. During this period he remained kind to me just for the times of having sex, otherwise he did not take care of me. He was living with his parents. He has been torturing, misusing and forcing me to go back to me family.”
Answering to a SLMP’s question, she told, “On January 1, 2008, I gave birth to a son in a private hospital. Asif did not take care of me; even he did not visit me in the hospital. I was alone at home when my labor pain was started; a lady from neighbors helped me. After few months of delivery, I conceived again. That was month of Ramdan (Muslims’ lent days), Asif mostly used to live with his family and rarely visit me, I stayed behind hungry for many days, because of my improper diet and hunger baby died in my womb and I had abortion. Two months later I conceived third time with a baby of Asif, at that time he tortured me ruthlessly in my pregnancy and due to physical torture I miscarried into the pregnancy.”
She said, “I could understand that he was creating circumstances for me to leave him. He stopped visiting, or to provide any facility. Eventually, I started begging in market. I was helpless, my son was hungry and I had to feed him.”
Fozia told that Asif, when he was intending to marry a Muslim girl, offered her an amount of money to leave him and not to tell that she has a son from Asif. She said, “I was aware that he is going to marry another (Muslim) girl, but he hurt my feelings more when he offered money with replacement of four precious years of my youth. He used me like a tissue paper and now wants to throw me in streets.”
Fozia is confronting lots of pressures because of having illegal child with her. Pakistani society does not accept such children. Even people don’t want to have any relation with girls those who have illegal child. This is very hard for Fozia to bring his child up as a respectable citizen. She contacted her family few days ago, but they flatly refused her to give shelter. One of her sisters (married) is willing to give her shelter but she wants Fozia to give her son to someone. Fozia does not want to leave the baby.
SLMP team member asked her that what she thinks her future would be. She said, “I am suffering from mental stress because I have not any other way to live. No body is accepting me; even my own family does not want to see me. I am unable to survive in these hardships. I cannot do job because of little child. He needs proper food, but I cannot provide him even a cup of milk. Sometimes I think where my fault was, trusted him with close eyes but he dodged me mercilessly.”
Fozia wants to take legal action against Asif, but there is great risk for her own life if she moves application in police station. She has nothing to prove her innocence that she was raped. If she moves application against Asif, police will also implicate her in adultery case, because she has also been involved willing having physical relation with Asif.
Rev. Sohail Johnson Chief Coordinator Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan strongly condemns such abuses with Christian girls. He said that conversion of Christian girls, forced marriages, such maltreatments, abuses and sexual assaults are drawbacks of Christian community in Pakistan. He expressed his sorrows over Fozia’s situation. He said that Fozia’s story remind us many other sisters in Christ sexually abused, kidnapped and forcibly married with Muslim guys, he said it should be stop now.
SLMP is concerned about Fozia and her son’s immediate needs like shelter and food. She needs special care and love to survive her mental stress. She is feeling alone and helpless. SLMP is trying to make her family not to harsh with her.
(Pakistan Christian Post)
Deadly bomb strikes Pakistan city
A bomb has exploded in Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar, killing at least nine people and injuring others, police say.
The bomb exploded on a busy street in the city's Kashkal area, a police official told AP news agency.
A number of other people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals after the explosion, he said.
It came after officials in Islamabad said at least 10 people were killed by a suspected US drone in North Pakistan.
The unmanned aircraft fired missiles at a building and a vehicle in the North Waziristan tribal region. The officials said two foreign militants were among those killed, and several more people were injured.
Islamic school hit?
The Peshawar bomb exploded near a school bus in a busy street, police said.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. Following the drone attack, there was no comment from US forces, but in the past they have used drones to target al-Qaeda militants.
Pakistani officials said the attack took place in the Khaisor area of North Waziristan - a region populated by ethnic Pashtuns.
One report quoted officials as saying the building hit was an Islamic school, but others described it as a compound or house.
On Tuesday, at least eight people were killed when a suspected US drone destroyed a house in Sra Khawra village in nearby South Waziristan district.
There are estimated to have been more than 30 strikes by US forces based in Afghanistan since August. Some 340 people are reported to have been killed, most in the North and South Waziristan tribal regions.
The Pakistan government has criticised the attacks, saying that civilians are among the casualties and that the raids boost support for the militants.
The American military has in the past announced the killing of several al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan's border area but seldom confirms the use of drones.
The latest violence comes as Pakistan's army continues its offensive against Taleban rebels in the Swat valley in country's north-west. Nearly one million people have fled from heavy fighting in the past two weeks, the UN says.
The UNHCR says the crisis could destabilise the entire region unless there is a massive response from the international community. It is expected to launch an emergency appeal for Pakistan in the next few days. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, has described the situation as the country's worst refugee crisis since the bloody partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 at the end of colonial rule.
(BBC)
The bomb exploded on a busy street in the city's Kashkal area, a police official told AP news agency.
A number of other people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals after the explosion, he said.
It came after officials in Islamabad said at least 10 people were killed by a suspected US drone in North Pakistan.
The unmanned aircraft fired missiles at a building and a vehicle in the North Waziristan tribal region. The officials said two foreign militants were among those killed, and several more people were injured.
Islamic school hit?
The Peshawar bomb exploded near a school bus in a busy street, police said.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. Following the drone attack, there was no comment from US forces, but in the past they have used drones to target al-Qaeda militants.
Pakistani officials said the attack took place in the Khaisor area of North Waziristan - a region populated by ethnic Pashtuns.
One report quoted officials as saying the building hit was an Islamic school, but others described it as a compound or house.
On Tuesday, at least eight people were killed when a suspected US drone destroyed a house in Sra Khawra village in nearby South Waziristan district.
There are estimated to have been more than 30 strikes by US forces based in Afghanistan since August. Some 340 people are reported to have been killed, most in the North and South Waziristan tribal regions.
The Pakistan government has criticised the attacks, saying that civilians are among the casualties and that the raids boost support for the militants.
The American military has in the past announced the killing of several al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan's border area but seldom confirms the use of drones.
The latest violence comes as Pakistan's army continues its offensive against Taleban rebels in the Swat valley in country's north-west. Nearly one million people have fled from heavy fighting in the past two weeks, the UN says.
The UNHCR says the crisis could destabilise the entire region unless there is a massive response from the international community. It is expected to launch an emergency appeal for Pakistan in the next few days. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, has described the situation as the country's worst refugee crisis since the bloody partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 at the end of colonial rule.
(BBC)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Pakistan's religious minorities report violence
By KATHY GANNON
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Fauzia Abrar had finally gotten her crying baby to sleep when screaming men pounded on the steel doors of her home in the mostly Christian slum in the port city of Karachi.
Suddenly she heard shots, and the screaming grew louder: "Long live Taliban! Death to infidels!"
The men forced their way into her house, hurled loose tiles and a glass at her and fired a shot. She fainted.
As the Taliban gains a stronger foothold in Pakistan, increasingly violent assaults against religious minorities are further evidence of its growing power and influence. While the Taliban does not carry out all of the attacks, extremist elements inspired by the group will sometimes act in its name.
These attacks add to the instability of an already highly unstable country and also show how Pakistan, supposed to be a U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic extremism, is now itself increasingly threatened by extremists.
In dozens of interviews from Karachi to Peshawar, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus told of attacks and threats and expressed an overwhelming sense of fear. Minority Rights Group International, a watchdog organization, ranked Pakistan last year as the world's top country for major increases in threats to minorities from 2007 — along with Sri Lanka, which is embroiled in civil war. The group lists Pakistan as seventh on the list of 10 most dangerous countries for minorities, after Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar and Congo.
"In Pakistan today there is a lot of feeling of fear by all the minorities," said the Rev. Richard D'Souza of St. Jude Church in Karachi. "We feel we have no protection."
The trouble in D'Souza's parish started with bold blue graffiti on the church walls praising the Taliban and Islamic law, and condemning Christians as infidels. Young Christians in the neighborhood protested.
Within days, about 25 burly men with shaggy beards rampaged through the neighborhood, beating Christians, pelting women with stones and setting fire to the doors of houses and to meager possessions. An 11-year-old boy was killed, and several people were wounded.
"The police never helped. None of us had weapons. The police just stood there," said 26-year-old Imran Masih, who spent 10 days in the hospital after a bullet pierced his neck.
Dozens of Christian families fled. One man who stayed, Sohail Masih, showed what is left of the family's two Bibles and a Sunday school book — a seared and crumbled mass of paper. He had wrapped it in plastic bags and hidden it, in case evidence was ever needed.
D'Souza said the parish is thinking of forming its own armed youth brigades to patrol Christian areas. When he asked the government for armored personnel carriers, he said, two bored-looking policemen showed up for the Easter Sunday service and were gone the next morning.
Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for minorities affairs, said the government is trying to stop the Taliban through military operations.
"I don't say minorities are not worried. They have a genuine concern. They have been attacked," said Bhatti, a Christian. "The Taliban say non-Muslims are infidels, and the people who are misguided zealots can interpret this in any way. Minorities can be easy and soft targets of these extremists, but these Taliban are committing such violent acts that everyone feels fear in their presence — the minority and the majority in Pakistan."
Religious minorities represent about 5 percent of Pakistan's 160 million people, according to the CIA World Factbook. But Michael Javed, director of a peace council and a minister in southern Sindh, charged that census takers intentionally keep minority figures low to deny them greater representation. Christians alone represent 5 to 6 percent of the population, he said.
Javed said he has been told by militants to take the cross off his schools in Karachi, and has refused. Frightened Christians are trying to arm themselves, he said, pulling out a bulging file with more than 60 applications to buy weapons.
"It has never happened in the past like this. Today we feel we have no future. They want us to hide, but we won't," he said.
Even Shiite Muslims have come under attack as the Sunni Taliban tears through the tribal areas. In the past two years, the Taliban has embraced a violently anti-Shiite group, Lashkar-e-Janghvi, unleashing a fresh wave of bitter bloodletting. More than 500 Shiite Muslims in the Kurram tribal agency have been killed in daily attacks.
Editorials in local newspapers have warned of the threat to minorities and predicted that the brutality will eventually reach the larger population. In an April letter to the prime minister and president, Lahore Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha said allowing Islamic law in the violent Swat Valley would give license to "trigger-happy Taliban (and further) erode constitutional protections for minorities and women."
The Taliban issued an ultimatum in March to the elders of more than 25 Sikh families in the Orakzai tribal agency near the Afghan border: Convert to Islam, join the jihad or pay 5 billion rupees — roughly $62 million — for protection.
"We couldn't pay that amount. We were farmers," said a young Sikh who asked to be identified only as Singh, because he was too terrified to give his full name or location. He fidgeted nervously, and his voice became little more than a whisper as he recalled the Taliban's threat to take a Sikh leader to South Waziristan to decide his fate if the extortion money wasn't paid.
The villagers persuaded the Taliban to reduce the amount to 12 million rupees or $150,000 — still a princely sum for the Sikh community. But Singh said they raised enough money to get their elder released, with a promise to pay the rest by March 29.
On March 28, he said, the Sikhs paid the full amount, and the Taliban promised to protect them anywhere in Pakistan. But by 10 p.m. that day, the Taliban had told Sikh elders they were preparing to attack.
By 2 a.m., the elders had packed everyone into cars and trucks, and more than 150 Sikhs fled to Peshawar, the provincial capital of the northwest.
"What are we to do? We have nothing," Singh said. "We have asked the government of Pakistan, either relocate us to somewhere safe or send us to India."
The lives of Hindus are also in danger, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Last month, extremists attacked a Hindu Holi religious festival not far from the border with India, setting fire to a Hindu temple and destroying several shops. And last year, a young Hindu worker was beaten to death at a factory in Karachi by fellow workers who accused him of insulting Islam.
Although no figures are available, anecdotal evidence and human rights groups say attacks against Hindus have risen in the last two years, with temples and worshippers targeted especially in Sindh province, where Karachi is located.
"We are under more and more of a threat because of these extremists, but we ourselves feel if we take the wrong step, even to tell of the wrong things, then it will be death for us," said Amarnath Motumal, a lawyer and head of the Karachi Hindu Panchayat, representing Hindus. "We worry about the future of our families and our children here in Pakistan — all of us (minorities) do today because of these extremists."
(Associated Press)
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Fauzia Abrar had finally gotten her crying baby to sleep when screaming men pounded on the steel doors of her home in the mostly Christian slum in the port city of Karachi.
Suddenly she heard shots, and the screaming grew louder: "Long live Taliban! Death to infidels!"
The men forced their way into her house, hurled loose tiles and a glass at her and fired a shot. She fainted.
As the Taliban gains a stronger foothold in Pakistan, increasingly violent assaults against religious minorities are further evidence of its growing power and influence. While the Taliban does not carry out all of the attacks, extremist elements inspired by the group will sometimes act in its name.
These attacks add to the instability of an already highly unstable country and also show how Pakistan, supposed to be a U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic extremism, is now itself increasingly threatened by extremists.
In dozens of interviews from Karachi to Peshawar, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus told of attacks and threats and expressed an overwhelming sense of fear. Minority Rights Group International, a watchdog organization, ranked Pakistan last year as the world's top country for major increases in threats to minorities from 2007 — along with Sri Lanka, which is embroiled in civil war. The group lists Pakistan as seventh on the list of 10 most dangerous countries for minorities, after Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar and Congo.
"In Pakistan today there is a lot of feeling of fear by all the minorities," said the Rev. Richard D'Souza of St. Jude Church in Karachi. "We feel we have no protection."
The trouble in D'Souza's parish started with bold blue graffiti on the church walls praising the Taliban and Islamic law, and condemning Christians as infidels. Young Christians in the neighborhood protested.
Within days, about 25 burly men with shaggy beards rampaged through the neighborhood, beating Christians, pelting women with stones and setting fire to the doors of houses and to meager possessions. An 11-year-old boy was killed, and several people were wounded.
"The police never helped. None of us had weapons. The police just stood there," said 26-year-old Imran Masih, who spent 10 days in the hospital after a bullet pierced his neck.
Dozens of Christian families fled. One man who stayed, Sohail Masih, showed what is left of the family's two Bibles and a Sunday school book — a seared and crumbled mass of paper. He had wrapped it in plastic bags and hidden it, in case evidence was ever needed.
D'Souza said the parish is thinking of forming its own armed youth brigades to patrol Christian areas. When he asked the government for armored personnel carriers, he said, two bored-looking policemen showed up for the Easter Sunday service and were gone the next morning.
Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for minorities affairs, said the government is trying to stop the Taliban through military operations.
"I don't say minorities are not worried. They have a genuine concern. They have been attacked," said Bhatti, a Christian. "The Taliban say non-Muslims are infidels, and the people who are misguided zealots can interpret this in any way. Minorities can be easy and soft targets of these extremists, but these Taliban are committing such violent acts that everyone feels fear in their presence — the minority and the majority in Pakistan."
Religious minorities represent about 5 percent of Pakistan's 160 million people, according to the CIA World Factbook. But Michael Javed, director of a peace council and a minister in southern Sindh, charged that census takers intentionally keep minority figures low to deny them greater representation. Christians alone represent 5 to 6 percent of the population, he said.
Javed said he has been told by militants to take the cross off his schools in Karachi, and has refused. Frightened Christians are trying to arm themselves, he said, pulling out a bulging file with more than 60 applications to buy weapons.
"It has never happened in the past like this. Today we feel we have no future. They want us to hide, but we won't," he said.
Even Shiite Muslims have come under attack as the Sunni Taliban tears through the tribal areas. In the past two years, the Taliban has embraced a violently anti-Shiite group, Lashkar-e-Janghvi, unleashing a fresh wave of bitter bloodletting. More than 500 Shiite Muslims in the Kurram tribal agency have been killed in daily attacks.
Editorials in local newspapers have warned of the threat to minorities and predicted that the brutality will eventually reach the larger population. In an April letter to the prime minister and president, Lahore Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha said allowing Islamic law in the violent Swat Valley would give license to "trigger-happy Taliban (and further) erode constitutional protections for minorities and women."
The Taliban issued an ultimatum in March to the elders of more than 25 Sikh families in the Orakzai tribal agency near the Afghan border: Convert to Islam, join the jihad or pay 5 billion rupees — roughly $62 million — for protection.
"We couldn't pay that amount. We were farmers," said a young Sikh who asked to be identified only as Singh, because he was too terrified to give his full name or location. He fidgeted nervously, and his voice became little more than a whisper as he recalled the Taliban's threat to take a Sikh leader to South Waziristan to decide his fate if the extortion money wasn't paid.
The villagers persuaded the Taliban to reduce the amount to 12 million rupees or $150,000 — still a princely sum for the Sikh community. But Singh said they raised enough money to get their elder released, with a promise to pay the rest by March 29.
On March 28, he said, the Sikhs paid the full amount, and the Taliban promised to protect them anywhere in Pakistan. But by 10 p.m. that day, the Taliban had told Sikh elders they were preparing to attack.
By 2 a.m., the elders had packed everyone into cars and trucks, and more than 150 Sikhs fled to Peshawar, the provincial capital of the northwest.
"What are we to do? We have nothing," Singh said. "We have asked the government of Pakistan, either relocate us to somewhere safe or send us to India."
The lives of Hindus are also in danger, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Last month, extremists attacked a Hindu Holi religious festival not far from the border with India, setting fire to a Hindu temple and destroying several shops. And last year, a young Hindu worker was beaten to death at a factory in Karachi by fellow workers who accused him of insulting Islam.
Although no figures are available, anecdotal evidence and human rights groups say attacks against Hindus have risen in the last two years, with temples and worshippers targeted especially in Sindh province, where Karachi is located.
"We are under more and more of a threat because of these extremists, but we ourselves feel if we take the wrong step, even to tell of the wrong things, then it will be death for us," said Amarnath Motumal, a lawyer and head of the Karachi Hindu Panchayat, representing Hindus. "We worry about the future of our families and our children here in Pakistan — all of us (minorities) do today because of these extremists."
(Associated Press)
Girls’ school blown up in Bannu
BANNU: Suspected Taliban blew up a government girls’ primary school in Ibrahim Mumshkhel area on Wednesday morning. According to police, explosives planted inside the school destroyed the entire building. There were no casualties. app
‘Pakistan can defy the odds’
* Report says weak Pakistani state can be rescued by reforms and global support
LAHORE: Pakistan is being seen as a failing state and questions are being raised about the safety of its nuclear weapons in case of a Taliban or Al Qaeda takeover, but a US think tank report released at a congressional hearing on Monday says the country has the ability to “defy the odds”.
Pakistan is “a democratic society trapped inside an undemocratic state”, according to the report on the future of the country report by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding titeld ‘Pakistan Can Defy the Odds: How to Rescue a Failing State’. The briefing was sponsored by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson. The approximately two dozen suicide bombings in 2009 so far, 66 in 2008, and 61 in 2007, are a matter of concern in the context of the evolving crisis in Pakistan, according to the report. But “terrorists need far more than suicide bombers to get hold of nuclear materials”, the report said.
More alarming is the expanding influence of the Taliban in FATA and NWFP – that the report blames partly on “poor law enforcement capacity and inadequate counterinsurgency know-how on the part of Pakistan’s army” – and “confused threat perceptions and popular conspiratorial thinking” that “encourages the denial of reality”. But although these threats along with failing infrastructure and absence of good governance show a dismal scenario, there is another side of the picture, according to the report.
The “courageous and sustained lawyers’ movement” has “inspired ... thousands of Pakistanis to struggle for the rule of law, an independent judiciary, and the supremacy of the constitution”, and “a vibrant and enthusiastic electronic and print media” helped the cause “though sometimes at the cost of objectivity”. A large number of Pakistani writers, artists, poets, and intellectuals are readying people to face challenges including religious bigotry, the report says, and a number of women are joining Pakistan’s army and air force as soldiers and fighter pilots – “something inconceivable for many Pakistanis just a decade ago due to cultural as well as dogmatic religious worldviews”. These examples, according to the report, show a “picture of hope and change”. In this context, the report says dealings between the US and Pakistan “increasingly fraught with resentment, miscommunication, and a sense of caginess” should be improved to “build a deeper, sustainable, and long-term strategic engagement with the people of Pakistan”.
The report ends with a quote from Professor Robert I Rotberg: that weak states (or states in crisis) “may be inherently weak because of geographical, physical or fundamental economic constraints; or they may be basically strong, but temporarily or situationally weak because of internal antagonisms, management flaws, greed, despotism, or external attacks. Weak states typically harbor ethnic, religious, linguistic, or other intercommunal tensions... Urban crime rates tend to be high and increasing... Schools and hospitals show sign of neglect... GDP per capita and other critical economic indicators have fallen or are falling... Weak states usually honor rule of law precepts in the breach.” daily times monitor
(Daily Times)
LAHORE: Pakistan is being seen as a failing state and questions are being raised about the safety of its nuclear weapons in case of a Taliban or Al Qaeda takeover, but a US think tank report released at a congressional hearing on Monday says the country has the ability to “defy the odds”.
Pakistan is “a democratic society trapped inside an undemocratic state”, according to the report on the future of the country report by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding titeld ‘Pakistan Can Defy the Odds: How to Rescue a Failing State’. The briefing was sponsored by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson. The approximately two dozen suicide bombings in 2009 so far, 66 in 2008, and 61 in 2007, are a matter of concern in the context of the evolving crisis in Pakistan, according to the report. But “terrorists need far more than suicide bombers to get hold of nuclear materials”, the report said.
More alarming is the expanding influence of the Taliban in FATA and NWFP – that the report blames partly on “poor law enforcement capacity and inadequate counterinsurgency know-how on the part of Pakistan’s army” – and “confused threat perceptions and popular conspiratorial thinking” that “encourages the denial of reality”. But although these threats along with failing infrastructure and absence of good governance show a dismal scenario, there is another side of the picture, according to the report.
The “courageous and sustained lawyers’ movement” has “inspired ... thousands of Pakistanis to struggle for the rule of law, an independent judiciary, and the supremacy of the constitution”, and “a vibrant and enthusiastic electronic and print media” helped the cause “though sometimes at the cost of objectivity”. A large number of Pakistani writers, artists, poets, and intellectuals are readying people to face challenges including religious bigotry, the report says, and a number of women are joining Pakistan’s army and air force as soldiers and fighter pilots – “something inconceivable for many Pakistanis just a decade ago due to cultural as well as dogmatic religious worldviews”. These examples, according to the report, show a “picture of hope and change”. In this context, the report says dealings between the US and Pakistan “increasingly fraught with resentment, miscommunication, and a sense of caginess” should be improved to “build a deeper, sustainable, and long-term strategic engagement with the people of Pakistan”.
The report ends with a quote from Professor Robert I Rotberg: that weak states (or states in crisis) “may be inherently weak because of geographical, physical or fundamental economic constraints; or they may be basically strong, but temporarily or situationally weak because of internal antagonisms, management flaws, greed, despotism, or external attacks. Weak states typically harbor ethnic, religious, linguistic, or other intercommunal tensions... Urban crime rates tend to be high and increasing... Schools and hospitals show sign of neglect... GDP per capita and other critical economic indicators have fallen or are falling... Weak states usually honor rule of law precepts in the breach.” daily times monitor
(Daily Times)
Swat outlook ‘pretty bleak’: Kilcullen
* US strategist says Pak military has no counterinsurgency capability
LAHORE: Pakistan’s campaign against the Swat Taliban has only a limited chance of success, a counter-insurgency expert has warned.David Kilcullen, hailed as a key strategist behind the US success in Iraq, has said outlook for the operation is “pretty bleak” given the army’s inexperience and its refusal to accept help from the west. Kilcullen has been a leading adviser to Gen David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command.In an interview with the Financial Times, Kilcullen said he doubted Pakistan could succeed. He added that the failure would endanger the international mission in Afghanistan by cutting off NATO supply routes. Capability: “The Pakistani military has no capability for what we would call counterinsurgency,” he said. “What they are doing in the Swat valley is a conventional offensive ... they need a more sophisticated approach and they need training and assistance, which they are currently refusing.”“They will move into Swat, they will fight the Taliban, there will be half a million refugees, there will be immense dislocation. I’m not sure that, looking back on this in six months, we will see any improvement.” Kilcullen said the situation in Pakistan was central to NATO’s Afghan mission. The strategist also warned that US drone strikes in the Tribal Areas were counter-productive. “They have an undeniable benefit…but have a negative strategic effect” as they incited militancy, he said.
LAHORE: Pakistan’s campaign against the Swat Taliban has only a limited chance of success, a counter-insurgency expert has warned.David Kilcullen, hailed as a key strategist behind the US success in Iraq, has said outlook for the operation is “pretty bleak” given the army’s inexperience and its refusal to accept help from the west. Kilcullen has been a leading adviser to Gen David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command.In an interview with the Financial Times, Kilcullen said he doubted Pakistan could succeed. He added that the failure would endanger the international mission in Afghanistan by cutting off NATO supply routes. Capability: “The Pakistani military has no capability for what we would call counterinsurgency,” he said. “What they are doing in the Swat valley is a conventional offensive ... they need a more sophisticated approach and they need training and assistance, which they are currently refusing.”“They will move into Swat, they will fight the Taliban, there will be half a million refugees, there will be immense dislocation. I’m not sure that, looking back on this in six months, we will see any improvement.” Kilcullen said the situation in Pakistan was central to NATO’s Afghan mission. The strategist also warned that US drone strikes in the Tribal Areas were counter-productive. “They have an undeniable benefit…but have a negative strategic effect” as they incited militancy, he said.
UK filmmakers attacked
LAHORE: A British filmmaker fled Pakistan after his crew was shot at near Quetta. David Whitney was shooting Kandahar Break, a film about Taliban-rule in Afghanistan. The crew was flown out of the country within 24 hours. “Fortunately we all survived, but it was terrifying,” Whitney told BBC. “Four members of our crew were shot but they escaped without serious injury... We were flown straight out of Quetta, landed in Islamabad and then onto Manchester. I was really disappointed though, we were at a crucial point in the filming.” With three-quarters of the production finished, Whitney managed to get financial backing and ended up shooting the rest of it in Tunisia. Having just finished filming, he hopes to release it in July. daily times monito(Daily Times)
India confirms Pakistani troop reduction at border
LAHORE: New Delhi has confirmed that Pakistan has shifted troops from its border with India to its border with Afghanistan, Hindustan Times (HT) has reported. The paper quoted a top government official as saying, “There has been a 'thinning' of troops but they have 'many more' which can be moved out.” It said it was “the first official confirmation from India of Islamabad moving out troops from its border with India”. “This is a unilateral decision (by Pakistan) and has nothing to do with a similar reduction by India. We are under no pressure from the US,” the official said.daily times monitor
(Daily Times)
(Daily Times)
Taliban ask politicians to quit
LAHORE: All national and provincial parliament members from Malakand division must resign within three days or their families will be captured and their buildings destroyed, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said on Wednesday. He told CNN the Taliban had only killed people that had a negative impact on society, “like people who are working for army”. He also issued a directive for religious political parties, saying they must hold press conferences to show support for the Taliban and sharia law in Malakand. daily times monitor
670,000 flee Swat conflict: UNHCR
ISLAMABAD: The number of people who have fled fighting in northwest Pakistan and registered with authorities in the last 11 days has increased to more than 670,000, the United Nations (UN) refugee agency said on Wednesday. “The new figure of registered people since May 2 for the new influx is 670,906. That breaks down to 79,842 in the camps and 591,064 out of camps,” UN High Commission for Refugees spokeswoman Ariane Rummery said. Those who were not sheltering in camps might be renting homes, staying with friends or relatives, or camping out elsewhere, Rummery said. The total number of those displaced by the latest fighting between the Pakistani military and the Taliban was likely to be higher, she added. Wednesday’s number was up from the 501,496 people who had registered as of late Tuesday. afp
(Daily Times)
(Daily Times)
Afghan war rules set to change
LAHORE: The new US commander in Afghanistan, Lt-Gen Stanley McChrystal, is likely to be willing – unlike his predecessors – to fight on both sides of the border with Pakistan, the New York Times has announced.
McChrystal, it says, is a counterinsurgency expert who for years has viewed the violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single problem.Senior US officials told the paper that Gen McChrystal would have no “explicit mandate” to carry out military strikes in Pakistan.
At the same time, current and former officials said he was ideally suited to carry out a White House strategy that regards Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single problem. “For him to be successful, he’s going to have to fight the war on both sides of the border,” said Robert Richer, a retired CIA officer who has worked with McChrystal.
Administration officials and lawmakers have said the decision to install McChrystal was driven at least in part by a desire to elevate a new generation of army leaders with fresh thinking. “This is less about Gen McKiernan than it is about a new counterinsurgency strategy and a new leadership to reinvigorate that strategy,” said Senator Jack Reed. McChrystal was a key advocate last year of a plan, ultimately approved by former president George Bush, to use American commandos to strike at Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan. And a senior CIA official based at Bagram was made in charge of CIA and military commando missions in “Afghanistan and Pakistan”.
Two officials said McKiernan had resisted the creation of a new operational command in Afghanistan that Gates announced on Monday. McChrystal not only supported the plan, but has also pressed for the creation of a new cadre of American officers who would specialise in Afghanistan and serve repeated tours there.
(Daily Times)
McChrystal, it says, is a counterinsurgency expert who for years has viewed the violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single problem.Senior US officials told the paper that Gen McChrystal would have no “explicit mandate” to carry out military strikes in Pakistan.
At the same time, current and former officials said he was ideally suited to carry out a White House strategy that regards Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single problem. “For him to be successful, he’s going to have to fight the war on both sides of the border,” said Robert Richer, a retired CIA officer who has worked with McChrystal.
Administration officials and lawmakers have said the decision to install McChrystal was driven at least in part by a desire to elevate a new generation of army leaders with fresh thinking. “This is less about Gen McKiernan than it is about a new counterinsurgency strategy and a new leadership to reinvigorate that strategy,” said Senator Jack Reed. McChrystal was a key advocate last year of a plan, ultimately approved by former president George Bush, to use American commandos to strike at Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan. And a senior CIA official based at Bagram was made in charge of CIA and military commando missions in “Afghanistan and Pakistan”.
Two officials said McKiernan had resisted the creation of a new operational command in Afghanistan that Gates announced on Monday. McChrystal not only supported the plan, but has also pressed for the creation of a new cadre of American officers who would specialise in Afghanistan and serve repeated tours there.
(Daily Times)
BBC map illustrates Taliban spread
* Research suggests only 38 percent of NWFP, FATA under firm government control
* Says there is high likelihood of increase in Taliban militancy in 47 percent of Punjab in near future
LAHORE: A map produced by the BBC suggests that only 38 percent of the NWFP and the FATA is under firm government control.
The army is currently trying to reclaim part of the region from the Taliban. The report the map was based on covered the 24 districts of NWFP and the seven tribal agencies and six frontier regions of the FATA. The researchers analysed reports from BBC Urdu correspondents over the past 18 months, backed up by conversations with local officials, police officers and journalists. They concluded that in 24 percent of the region the civilian government no longer exercised authority. Either the Taliban were in complete control or the military was engaged in operations to flush them out. Another 38 percent of the region was deemed to have a permanent Taliban presence, meaning they had established bases restricting local government activities and seriously compromising local administration. In these areas – three FATA and 11 NWFP districts – the Taliban carried out periodic attacks at will on girls’ schools, music shops, police stations and government buildings. Considering the region is notorious for its lack of law and order, the researchers applied certain rules to differentiate Taliban activity from general lawlessness: The incidents had to be of a recurring nature, there had to be an official recognition of Taliban presence, Taliban must have appointed local “commanders” and there must be functional religious schools sympathetic to the Taliban in the area. The research also indicates areas to which researchers believe Taliban-style militancy might spread. Likelihood: The report found that, based on current perceptions of religiously motivated violence, there was a high likelihood of an increase in Taliban militancy in the near future in 47 percent of the Punjab. BBC’s Barbara Plett as well as independent observers warned against overstating the existence of a unified insurgency.
(Daily Times Monitor)
JD active in Swat under new name
UK paper says group arranging bus fares for displaced people, emergency lodgings in madrassas, planning 2 camps for 3,000 families
LAHORE: A banned charity accused of links to the Mumbai attacks has resurfaced in Pakistan, this time running an extensive aid programme for the people fleeing fighting in Swat, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.The Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) offers food, medical care and transport to villagers fleeing into Mardan district, it said.But the paper said, citing experts and some FIF members, that the group was a renamed relief wing of Jamaatud Dawa, a group the Pakistani government banned last December after the UN declared it a terrorist organisation.Dawa volunteers have now re-emerged under a new name to collect relief supplies for the internally displaced persons (IDPs).Their first relief camp is located outside Sher Gur in Mardan, a few hundred metres from the border with Malakand, where the fighting is concentrated.Present at the camp was Abdur Rauf, the FIF head and the former head of Dawa’s welfare wing.Rauf told Guardian that the group’s 24-hour kitchens had fed 53,000 people in roadside camps and in schools where people were living, adding that a fleet of 23 minibuses had transported victims from the battle zone and seven ambulances took the injured to hospital.Relief work: He said the FIF was willing to pay bus fares for people fleeing to Lahore and Karachi, and was organising emergency lodgings in madrassas for those remaining behind. The charity also intended to build two tented camps catering for 3,000 displaced families in the coming month, the paper said.
(Daily Times)
LAHORE: A banned charity accused of links to the Mumbai attacks has resurfaced in Pakistan, this time running an extensive aid programme for the people fleeing fighting in Swat, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.The Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) offers food, medical care and transport to villagers fleeing into Mardan district, it said.But the paper said, citing experts and some FIF members, that the group was a renamed relief wing of Jamaatud Dawa, a group the Pakistani government banned last December after the UN declared it a terrorist organisation.Dawa volunteers have now re-emerged under a new name to collect relief supplies for the internally displaced persons (IDPs).Their first relief camp is located outside Sher Gur in Mardan, a few hundred metres from the border with Malakand, where the fighting is concentrated.Present at the camp was Abdur Rauf, the FIF head and the former head of Dawa’s welfare wing.Rauf told Guardian that the group’s 24-hour kitchens had fed 53,000 people in roadside camps and in schools where people were living, adding that a fleet of 23 minibuses had transported victims from the battle zone and seven ambulances took the injured to hospital.Relief work: He said the FIF was willing to pay bus fares for people fleeing to Lahore and Karachi, and was organising emergency lodgings in madrassas for those remaining behind. The charity also intended to build two tented camps catering for 3,000 displaced families in the coming month, the paper said.
(Daily Times)
Pakistani Christians Face Discrimination at Relief Camps
Christian Web News - In the northwestern Swat valley, more than 360,000 civilians have fled their homes this past week as Pakistan's army attacks Taliban strongholds in the area. As civilians flood into relief camps, Christians are claiming they are being discriminated against by the local authorities.
According to a Christian source, government-designated staffs at relief camps are denying Christians permission to register and the minority faces social ostracism, threats, and abuse.
Pakistan Christian Congress Chief, Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, said the registration process for Christians, Sikhs and Hindus at relief camps has been harsh and he called upon the Federal Minority Ministry to set up separate camps for the persecuted groups.
Bhatti, quoting a displaced Christian, Yousaf Masih said, “The staff on registration duty appointed by government is not permitting them in camps on a plea that Muslim displaced families cannot share food made for them which is prepared and distributed by them.”
According to Yousaf, Christians have been asked to set up tents and prepare food separately.
After being unable to access any relief camps, Yousaf and five other families finally ended up staying at a relative's house in Peshawar. The Christian explained that it was even difficult to talk to U.N. representatives due to the language barrier.
He said there are also hundreds of Christian families in Mangora city who are unable to flee due to expensive transport and erratic bus services.
Unfortunately, these instances come as no surprise since the Christian population in Pakistan already face severe persecution in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists, who routinely kidnap Christian girls, force conversion and sometimes burn their homes.
Bhatti has demanded that the government make special arrangements to pull Christians from Swat valley and set up camps for them. There are over 500,000 Christians in NWFP who are facing hardships and abuse, according to Bhatti.
He said Pakistan Christians fully support the military offensive against the Taliban extremism.
(Christian Web News)
According to a Christian source, government-designated staffs at relief camps are denying Christians permission to register and the minority faces social ostracism, threats, and abuse.
Pakistan Christian Congress Chief, Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, said the registration process for Christians, Sikhs and Hindus at relief camps has been harsh and he called upon the Federal Minority Ministry to set up separate camps for the persecuted groups.
Bhatti, quoting a displaced Christian, Yousaf Masih said, “The staff on registration duty appointed by government is not permitting them in camps on a plea that Muslim displaced families cannot share food made for them which is prepared and distributed by them.”
According to Yousaf, Christians have been asked to set up tents and prepare food separately.
After being unable to access any relief camps, Yousaf and five other families finally ended up staying at a relative's house in Peshawar. The Christian explained that it was even difficult to talk to U.N. representatives due to the language barrier.
He said there are also hundreds of Christian families in Mangora city who are unable to flee due to expensive transport and erratic bus services.
Unfortunately, these instances come as no surprise since the Christian population in Pakistan already face severe persecution in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists, who routinely kidnap Christian girls, force conversion and sometimes burn their homes.
Bhatti has demanded that the government make special arrangements to pull Christians from Swat valley and set up camps for them. There are over 500,000 Christians in NWFP who are facing hardships and abuse, according to Bhatti.
He said Pakistan Christians fully support the military offensive against the Taliban extremism.
(Christian Web News)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
751 militants killed, 29 troops martyred in operation: ISPR
RAWALPINDI: Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj. General Athar Abbas Tuesday said 751 militants have so far been killed while 29 security men martyred and 77 others injured in operation Raah-e-Haq underway in Swat and other parts of Malakand.
Giving updates of the ongoing operation, DG ISPR said the security forces have accomplished significant achievements, adding the images and videos of the dead militants will be released tomorrow.
He said today Pakistan army’s heliborne troops landed in Peochar, a key Taliban stronghold in the northwest district of Swat. Militants’ hideouts were destroyed in Baba Ziarat area and some arrests were also made, he told the reports.
Four security personnel lost their lives in militants’ attack on Kanju Police Station and Kilay while 4 militants were killed in Imam Dheri.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said the army is setting up hospitals and camps for the IDPs coming from the battle zones and so far 1.3 million people have migrated. In this connection, services of NADRA are being used, he added.
He said Ibn-e-Aql, brother of Ibn-e-Umer, has been killed in the ongoing operation and added that no information has been received of any significant foreign militant’s presence.
The ISPR Chief said efforts are on to drive out the militants from the area. Operation has been conducted from Chakdarra to Gulabad and the militants are swiftly losing ground.
He said the military is abstaining from using helicopters for carrying out offensives to avoid collateral damage and main focus is on ground operation.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said the militants have planted land mines on roads and ground in Mingora and Swat.
Government spokesman on the occasion announced that a special fund has been set up for the families affected by terrorist activities.
DG ISPR replying to a question said action is being taken after receiving report from the intelligence agencies but stopped short of giving any details.
(Pak Tribune)
Giving updates of the ongoing operation, DG ISPR said the security forces have accomplished significant achievements, adding the images and videos of the dead militants will be released tomorrow.
He said today Pakistan army’s heliborne troops landed in Peochar, a key Taliban stronghold in the northwest district of Swat. Militants’ hideouts were destroyed in Baba Ziarat area and some arrests were also made, he told the reports.
Four security personnel lost their lives in militants’ attack on Kanju Police Station and Kilay while 4 militants were killed in Imam Dheri.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said the army is setting up hospitals and camps for the IDPs coming from the battle zones and so far 1.3 million people have migrated. In this connection, services of NADRA are being used, he added.
He said Ibn-e-Aql, brother of Ibn-e-Umer, has been killed in the ongoing operation and added that no information has been received of any significant foreign militant’s presence.
The ISPR Chief said efforts are on to drive out the militants from the area. Operation has been conducted from Chakdarra to Gulabad and the militants are swiftly losing ground.
He said the military is abstaining from using helicopters for carrying out offensives to avoid collateral damage and main focus is on ground operation.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said the militants have planted land mines on roads and ground in Mingora and Swat.
Government spokesman on the occasion announced that a special fund has been set up for the families affected by terrorist activities.
DG ISPR replying to a question said action is being taken after receiving report from the intelligence agencies but stopped short of giving any details.
(Pak Tribune)
Canadian Pakistani Christian Diaspora express “No Confidence” on Federal Minority Minister of Pakistan
Toronto, Canada: May 11, 2009. (PCP) Mr. Aftab Rana, a community leader organized a meeting on May 9, 2009, in Toronto to defuse tension among Canadian Pakistani Christians on forthcoming venue in honor of Shahbaz Bhatti,
Federal Minority Minster in Pakistani government dated May 17, 2009. The said gathering turned disputed on statement by minority minister in Pakistani media that “Christians are enjoying equal rights in Pakistan” which was termed as denial to facts by thousands of Canadian Pakistani Christians.
Mr. Aftab Rana invited the organizers of reception of minority minister and protesting Christians for clarifications of comments and chalk out united agenda. The opportunity of Teleconference was also managed that Pakistani Christians around the globe may participate in reconciliation meeting.
A large number of Christians gathered in Toronto on May 9, 2009, while organizations from UK and Pakistan expressed their views via Teleconference.
Mr. Aftab Rana issued following press release for media which PCP is publishing without editing:
Dear Friends,
I would like to thank all the local community members and members of overseas organizations who participated in this important community meeting to discuss the current situation of minorities in Pakistan, and on the negative role of selected Minority Minister under the government of PPP. This meeting was called with a true spirit to defuse the differences between the community and International Christian Voice (ICV) because of Minister of Minority’s false statement on equal rights, voting in favor of Sharia Laws and his continuous ignorance toward community's day to day issues/incidents. The ICV was invited to defend their dubious leadership, but regretfully they refused to show up in the meeting, further jeopardizing their role and efforts towards the well being of Pakistani Christian community. This ignorance of ICV has raised many questions and the community has seen the true face of ICV, not different from Minister of Minority, who is ignoring minorities in Pakistan. It is very clear now that this organization has no involvement with human rights issues based on persecution and has become a government puppet failing to protect the minorities.
The organizations from UK and Pakistan were contacted via teleconference and shared the plight of minorities and lack of support of government of Pakistan and in particular a Christian Minority Minister. It has been observed that members of the community in Pakistan and abroad has no confidence over the role being played by the Minority Minister as he is not responding the calls of the oppressed and suffering minorities while in need.
In keeping with the views shared by the majority of the participants as well as the representatives of the overseas organizations it has been concluded that the Minister and his organizations based locally and in Pakistan has no respect and interest in the welfare of the minorities.
It is my humble request to local organizations to please come forward to unite the community. It has been noticed that some of the self made leaders have ignored the community by shaking hands individually with government officials of both Pakistan and Canada without confidence of the community. It is my request to stop corner political meetings and speak out for the truth and stop making jokes on the oppressed and suffering community.
At the end, I would like to emphasis that without unity it is impossible to achieve the goals, just think and follow other communities around, through unity they are achieving and becoming more successful in raising their voices.
As being neutral body, I have tried my best and it is up to community members to decide the next step.
Thank you and God bless,Aftab Rana,
According to sources it was revealed to PCP that Pakistani Christian Diaspora will write to Canadian government to cancel official visit of Federal Minority Minister to Canada.
(Pakistan Christian Post)
Federal Minority Minster in Pakistani government dated May 17, 2009. The said gathering turned disputed on statement by minority minister in Pakistani media that “Christians are enjoying equal rights in Pakistan” which was termed as denial to facts by thousands of Canadian Pakistani Christians.
Mr. Aftab Rana invited the organizers of reception of minority minister and protesting Christians for clarifications of comments and chalk out united agenda. The opportunity of Teleconference was also managed that Pakistani Christians around the globe may participate in reconciliation meeting.
A large number of Christians gathered in Toronto on May 9, 2009, while organizations from UK and Pakistan expressed their views via Teleconference.
Mr. Aftab Rana issued following press release for media which PCP is publishing without editing:
Dear Friends,
I would like to thank all the local community members and members of overseas organizations who participated in this important community meeting to discuss the current situation of minorities in Pakistan, and on the negative role of selected Minority Minister under the government of PPP. This meeting was called with a true spirit to defuse the differences between the community and International Christian Voice (ICV) because of Minister of Minority’s false statement on equal rights, voting in favor of Sharia Laws and his continuous ignorance toward community's day to day issues/incidents. The ICV was invited to defend their dubious leadership, but regretfully they refused to show up in the meeting, further jeopardizing their role and efforts towards the well being of Pakistani Christian community. This ignorance of ICV has raised many questions and the community has seen the true face of ICV, not different from Minister of Minority, who is ignoring minorities in Pakistan. It is very clear now that this organization has no involvement with human rights issues based on persecution and has become a government puppet failing to protect the minorities.
The organizations from UK and Pakistan were contacted via teleconference and shared the plight of minorities and lack of support of government of Pakistan and in particular a Christian Minority Minister. It has been observed that members of the community in Pakistan and abroad has no confidence over the role being played by the Minority Minister as he is not responding the calls of the oppressed and suffering minorities while in need.
In keeping with the views shared by the majority of the participants as well as the representatives of the overseas organizations it has been concluded that the Minister and his organizations based locally and in Pakistan has no respect and interest in the welfare of the minorities.
It is my humble request to local organizations to please come forward to unite the community. It has been noticed that some of the self made leaders have ignored the community by shaking hands individually with government officials of both Pakistan and Canada without confidence of the community. It is my request to stop corner political meetings and speak out for the truth and stop making jokes on the oppressed and suffering community.
At the end, I would like to emphasis that without unity it is impossible to achieve the goals, just think and follow other communities around, through unity they are achieving and becoming more successful in raising their voices.
As being neutral body, I have tried my best and it is up to community members to decide the next step.
Thank you and God bless,Aftab Rana,
According to sources it was revealed to PCP that Pakistani Christian Diaspora will write to Canadian government to cancel official visit of Federal Minority Minister to Canada.
(Pakistan Christian Post)
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