The latest victims of the Deobandi assault on the Christians of Pakistan are Saima and Sajjad of Kot Radha Kishan (Punjab), a poor but happily married couple with three kids. They were illegally confined by their kiln employer when they refused to continue to work for him as slaves. Yusuf Gujjar, the kiln owner, is a member of the local chapter of Nawaz Sharif’s Muslim League. The fatwa to kill them was issued by a Deobandi mullah and it is the same mullah who led the mob which killed them and threw them into fire.

Before the Kasur lynching, the Takfiri Deobandis and members of Nawaz Sharif’s Muslim League have killed scores of Christians. In most cases, the Takfiri Deobandi-League mobs were led by members of provincial and national assemblies.

As is his way, after every act of pogrom of the Christians, Shahbaz Sharif formed a committee to look into the causes of the violence. But to this day, no one knows what happened to whose committees. This led to a statement from Pakistan’s Christian leadership that as long as Shahbaz Sharif is in office, the Christians of Punjab cannot get any justice (Justice cannot be ensured to Christian couple burnt alive until Shahbaz Sharif CM of Punjab: http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=5027)

Below are reproducing some relevant tweets to show that how powerful these Takfiri Deobandis and their Nawaz League supporters are in various Kasur where the lynching of Christians took place.

Looking back we see mountains of evidence of PML-N and Takfiri Deobandi nexus:

Source: alexpressed March 11, 2013

PMLN has been claiming recently that their track record in terms of terrorism/ law and order has been good. Some of the anchors on the mainstream media have also been touting the same line but nothing could be farther from truth. There has been a trend of violence against minorities in Punjab including Christians, Hindus and Shias. The worrying fact is that Punjab administration has overtime and as a trend ignored the communities identified at threat and has not acted despite alarms raised by the Police, specially in cases of blasphemy. The Chief Minister has relied on suspending a few officials after every incident but (i) the administration refused to take action in presence of threat and (ii) the PMLN continues to support terrorist organisation Sipah Sahaba aka Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ).

PMLN and Punjab Government officials were held responsible after the 2009 Gojra massacre when eight Christians were killed and several dozen houses torched. Sipah Sahaba (ASWJ) militants were arrested when they were found responsible for the massacre but no meaningful actions were taken and prosecution of Sipah Sahaba ASWJ militants was not progressed. The investigation report submitted by Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman following the Gojra massacre made several recommendations which included the comment that the Punjab administration was irresponsible and did not liaise well with the Police or give necessary orders to take preventive actions.

What happened at Badami Bagh and what was PMLN’s responsibility?

As per law, the Police is required to conduct an investigation by a SP level officer after a blasphemy complaint is lodged, and register an FIR or arrest only if sufficient evidence is found. Saawan Masih, the Christian resident of Joseph Colony Badami Bagh Lahore falsely accused of blasphemy was arrested by the Police after a complaint was lodged against him and an FIR registered. There was no investigation carried out, but this has become a standard practice of the Police considering the sensitivity of blasphemy cases as the life of the accused is in danger. There have been several incidents when accused have been killed out of court or the judges killed after the decided in favour of the accussed and set them free. The Police intends to protect the accused and normally arrests them as soon as a complaint is lodged to avoid any violence courtesy mob mentality.

Since there is serious threat of violence and arson in such cases, at this stage after arresting the accussed, the Police normally expects orders from the administration (Punjab Govt in this case) for preventive actions which may include imposing section 144, reinforcements sent, permission to use tear gas if needed, arrest possible suspects who may be involved in violence.

The Police did arrest Saawan Masih which according to them ensures the individual’s security but no orders of preventive measures were given by Punjab Government to the Police. The Police vacated the area to ensure no life is lost knowing the threat of violence but expected orders from administration to take preventive measure like which never came. The Christian community was left at its own and 36 hours after the arrest, the mob torched more than 178 houses in Joseph Colony. 36 hours is more than enough time to take actions and steps to avoid the potential violence.

The Police can not be expected to take such decisions on its own but they need political backing. If they do take such actions without orders from the administration, they can face suspensions or court orders against them. It was the responsibility of Punjab Government solely but they watched the Christians being persecuted as spectators. They could have deployed Police in Joseph Colony, the CM could have issued a strong statement, the Police could have been given political backing to march around the area and arrest the suspects but the Punjab Government did nothing at all. This is not a single incident, it has become a trend with Gojra massacre a similar case. The Police officials were held responsible by the Punjab Government in both incidents of Gojra and Joseph Colony and suspensions and demotions were used as the post disaster solutions trying to cover up the failure of the Government itself.

Watch Najam Sethi explain this in Aapas Ki Baat 12 March 2013 – YouTube Link, Facebook Video Link 

PMLN MPA Muhammad Riaz /other leaders directing responsible for inciting violence resulting in houses torched

A report published in DAWN on 9th March 2013 documents the statements of the Christians of Joseph Colony Badami Bagh Lahore who were eyewitness to the developments in the area before the torching of houses actually took place. They tell DAWN:

 James Rehmat, a Christian worker, openly accuses the PML-N government of actually patronising the mob. “Some top leaders of the N-League, including Malik Riaz (local MNA) led the procession. On Friday night, another local PML-N leader came and had banners put up against blasphemy,” he points upwards to freshly put up cloth banners saying ‘The penalty of blasphemy is only beheading’.

Bishop Akram Gill, of the Emmanuel Church also stands and makes an official complaint against the Sharif-led Punjab government. “The Shantinagar and Gojra incidents too happened during the Sharifs’ rule. How is it that when they are not in power, we tend to live more peacefully?

PMLN MPA Muhammad Riaz led the anti-Christian rally in Joseph colony and another PMLN leader had banners put up inciting violence – this lead to the violence reslting in 178 houses torched.

PMLN backed land mafia, traders and political leaders staged the violence with PMLN not stopping them

GEO News reporter Ahmed Faraz reports in Capital Talk dated 11 Nov 2013 that the locals believe that some of the traders and industrialists of Badami Bagh region backed by PMLN wanted to take over the land (Joseph Colony) to build godowns. He adds that FIR  had been registered, Sawan Masih had already been arrested and situation was at calm but 36 hours later violence erupts which shows there was someone else inciting violence. A traders election is scheduled on 20th March 2013 and those who registered the blasphemy case (PMLN backed traders, industrialists and political leaders) also nominated six of the opposition trader party in the case to make it difficult for them to contest the elections against PMLN backed traders. The locals claim that PMLN national/provincial assembly candidates Asad Ashraf and Ghazali Saleem Butt were directly involved in this episode.

Watch Capital Talk’s 8 min section – Facebook Video Link or YouTube Video Link

Amir Mir writes in another report published in The News on 11th March 2013:

The anti-Christian violence in Lahore where 100-plus houses and shops were ransacked, looted and finally set ablaze by a group of fanatics has further blemished the already depressing record of the PML-N government which has mostly failed to protect members of the minority communities from the wrath of the extremists and terrorists.

This is not the first time PMLN has been blamed for inciting violence against the minorities. The Gojra massacre of Christians also had fingers pointed on PMLN. Amir Mir writes in the same report how citizens belonging to Christian and Ahmadi community or those speaking for them have been targeted as a trend in Punjab with no meaningful actions taken by the administration.

According to careful estimates, during the five-year tenure of Shahbaz Sharif as chief minister of Punjab, over 200 Ahmadis, Christians and Shias were killed in the province in hate-drive attacks, with some of the horrific attacks targeting the minority communities taking place in Lahore. In an almost similar incident, hundreds of hooligans belonging to the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) attacked a Christians’ locality in Gojra city on July 31, 2009 and burnt alive eight members of a family besides setting ablaze over 100 houses. The failure of the Punjab government to prosecute any of the 70 accused held responsible for the gory incident had compelled the family head to leave Pakistan after the Punjab police failed to arrest the culprits who were hurling death threats to him for pursuing the case.

The anti-Christian attacks were triggered by reports of desecration of the Holy Quran by some Christians, which eventually proved false. Five of those burnt alive were women and children who could not run to save their lives.

A total of 72 people were nominated in the Gojra attacks’ FIR who were set free one by one because the complainant in the murder case, Almas Hameed Masih, a resident of the Christian Colony, decided against pursuing the case and left Pakistan to save his life. Almas had actually nominated the president of the Toba Tek Singh chapter of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the FIR as one of the accused who was held responsible for the July 31, 2010 incident along with the local leadership of the SSP which had been renamed as the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ). Those nominated in the case registered under section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act included Abdul Qadir Awan of the PML-N and Maulana Abdul Khaliq, Qari Abidur Rehman Shah and Hafiz Muhammad Imran of the ASWJ.

Ten months after the Gojra tragedy, two fidayeen squads of the Punjabi Taliban targeted two Ahmadi mosques in the Model Town and Garhi Shahu areas of Lahore and killed over 100 people who were offering Friday prayers. Claiming responsibility for the May 28, 2010 twin terrorist attacks, Mansoor Maawia, a spokesperson for the Punjabi Taliban, had said, “No Ahmadi would live in peace in Pakistan. Our war against them will continue till their complete elimination because they are as bad infidels as Jews are.” It later transpired during investigations that the master planner of the twin attacks was in fact a doctor of the Jinnah Hospital, Dr Ali Abdullah, who was also the president of the Jamaatud Daawa Medical Wing. He told his interrogators that while pursuing his medical degree at Allama Iqbal Medical College, he had received armed training in Azad Kashmir at a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT) training camp being run by Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaatud Daawa (JD). His arrest showed for the first time that the LT was a part of the Punjabi Taliban who have let loose a reign of terror across Pakistan, especially targeting the minority communities. However, none of the accused in the twin attacks has so far been taken to task.

Seven months later (on January 4, 2011), Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was shot dead in the federal capital by Malik Mumtaz Qadri, a bodyguard from the Elite Force of the Punjab Police. The killer later explained that he had assassinated Taseer because of his criticism of the blasphemy law and his efforts to secure a presidential pardon for Aasia Bibi, a poor Christian woman already condemned to death by a Pakistani Anti-Terrorism Court for having committed blasphemy. Qadri had admitted in his confessional statement that he was actually provoked for the murder by the fiery speeches of two Rawalpindi-based clerics Mufti Hanif Qureshi and Qari Imtiaz Hussain Shah. Mufti Hanif is the ameer of a Rawalpindi-based religious outfit, Shabab-e-Islami Pakistan while Imtiaz Shah is the imam of a Rawalpindi-based mosque called Amna Masjid.

Two months later (on March 2, 2011), Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, a Roman Catholic and an outspoken critic of the blasphemy law, was shot dead in Islamabad. The responsibility for the assassination was placed on the Punjabi Taliban because of a pamphlet found at the place where he was killed. Written in Urdu, the leaflet claimed that Bhatti had been killed because of his opposition to the blasphemy law. His killers have yet to be arrested.

The next in line to be killed by the Punjabi Taliban was Bargeeta Almby, a 72-year old female Christian charity worker from Sweden, who was shot in the Model Town area of Lahore on December 3, 2012 for allegedly backing two Christian priests who had been accused of committing blasphemy, the preliminary police investigations have indicated. Bargeeta Almby, the managing director of the Full Gospel Assemblies (FGA), a church fellowship founded in the United States with congregations worldwide, was returning home from her Kot Lakhpat office when two unidentified motorcyclists shot her in the Model Town area of Lahore where she had been living since long. The day Bargeeta was targeted in Model Town, another significant incident took place in the Q Block area of Model Town where over a dozen masked men carrying arms and digging tools, vandalised the tombstones of 100-plus graves at an Ahmadi cemetery. Three months before this incident, Warren Weinstein, a 71-year old Jewish American US Aid official, was abducted from his Model Town home in Lahore (on August 13, 2011) by armed men belonging to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) who eventually sold him to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The ugly episode in the Badami Bagh area of Lahore took place at a time when the PML-N government in Punjab was already under fire from its political opponents for trying to strike a seat adjustment deal with the ASWJ in south Punjab for the upcoming general elections. However, a Punjab government spokesman refuted the impression that it has failed to protect members of the minority communities because of a soft corner for the banned militant or sectarian outfits.

Some of the media reports stating Al-Qaeda linked Sipah Sahaba ASWJ behind Gojra massacre are listed below. PMLN has formed a political alliance with Sipah Sahaba ASWJ and probably that explains why there has been no action despite a trend of violence by them against minorities.

Daily Times, 5 August 2009 – Link

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), an outlawed pro-Taliban sectarian group, and its Al Qaeda-linked offshoot, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, were suspected of orchestrating the attack in Gojra, Rana Sanaullah told Reuters by telephone. He claimed “masked men” had come from the nearby Jhang district, birthplace of both organisations, to incite the anti-Christian rioting in Gojra.

Reuters, 4 August 2009 – Link

Islamist militants from groups linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban are suspected of being behind the mob violence that killed eight Christians in centralPakistan over the weekend, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), an outlawed pro-Taliban Sunni Muslim sectarian group, and its al Qaeda-linked offshoot, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), were suspected of orchestrating the attack in Gojra town, according to Rana Sanaullah, Punjab’s law minister.

The News, 3 August 2009 – Link

Gojra city police arrested more than 65 persons on Saturday night and Sunday for their alleged involvement in Saturday’s riots.The arrested persons also include a former Sipah-e-Sahaba leader Qari Abdul Khaliq Kashmiri, while father and two brothers of another Sipah activist, Abid Farooqi, were arrested after the accused was not found at home.

DAWN News, 3 August 2009 – Link

The arrested men include Qari Abdul Khaliq Kashmiri, a leader of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan.Police also raided the house of Sipah-i-Sahaba activist Abid Farooqi but he escaped and police took his father and two brothers into custody. Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said 40 Christian homes had been torched on Saturday by the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba group, which is accused of attacking security forces and of staging bombings at public places in recent years.

Sipah Sahaba aka ASWJ (Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat) caught by Daily Asaas photographer torching Christian houses in Lahore Badami Bagh Joseph Colony – March 2013

 Snapshot of the frontpage of Daily Assas dated 10 March 2013 showing the said photograph

Snapshot of the Daily Assas which published the photo of Sipah Sahaba ASWJ worker torching Christian houses

Sipah Sahaba ASWJ main Facebook page Ulma-e-Deoband inciting hate/violence against Christians and Saawan Masin falsely accused for blasphemy

 Sipah Sahaba ASWJ main Facebook page, instead of condemning their members for torching Christian houses and condemning this act of vandalism, blaming the oppressed and persecuted Christian community.

 Sipah Sahaba ASWJ not missing a chance to show their blatant hatred for the Shia. A message of support for the persecuted Christian community by Shia leader Ameen Shaheedi is used to label him anti-Islam and an agent of Jews. Pakistan’s Shia community, leaders and social media platforms showed exemplary solidarity with the Christian community. Jaafria Disaster Relief visited Joseph Colony and distributed relief cheques while Shia Killing Team actively covered, protested and condemned the violence.

 Amir Mir writes in Daily Jang about Lahore Joseph Colony (Badami Bagh) and Gojra massacre saying Sipah Sahaba ASWJ militants with backing of PMLN directly responsible for these incidents.

Amir Mir writes in Daily Jang…

With clear evidence of Sipah Sahaba ASWJ militants torching Christian houses and killing them in Gojra massacre of 2009 and Lahore Joseph Colony incident of 2013, why PMLN does not give powers and orders to the Police to take preventive measures? Why PMLN relies on suspending and demoting Police officials when the failure is of administration? The only answer one can think of is PMLN’s alliance with Sipah Sahaba ASWJ. A report published in DAWN 2 June 2012 complained that PMLN is reluctant to take action on Sipah Sahaba ASWJ and LeJ militants operating in Punjab despite strong evidence available at hand. The PMLN has sold off minority blood for a few seats, for the votes of ultra-right militants. Unfortunately other parties like PPP and MQM have also been found showing closeness to Sipah Sahaba ASWJ. PPP’s Qamar Kaira in one talk show defended talks and getting support from Sipah Sahaba defending them saying “are they not Pakistani?” Well, they may but so are TTP, so were the killers of Benazir Bhutto. Would you want them in the Parliament too? The MQM also visited the Sipah Sahaba’s Karachi office. Pakistan’s mainstream political parties need to realize that Sipah Sahaba ASWJ is the name of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, TTP and Jaish-e-Muhammad . They are feeding the militants which will eventually come back at them.

Imran Khan in his Peshawar Jalsa in March 2013 blames PMLN for alliances with terrorist organisation Sipah Sahaba ASWJ which results in Shia Genocide and Ahmadi Persecution

Facebook Video Link  –  YouTube Video Link

Shafqat Mahmood of PTI says Sipah Sahaba ASWJ is frontline organisation in Terrorism and PMLN has an alliance with terrorists

Facebook Video Link  –  YouTube Video Link

Pakistan: A dangerous country for religious minorities -by Nasir Saeed May 26, 2014

Pakistan has become “a more and more dangerous country” for religious minorities. These were the words of the HRCP’s (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan) Secretary General, Mr I A Rehman, at the launch of the commission’s annual report.

Mr Rehman is highly respected and known for his integrity not only in Pakistan, but throughout the world. However, if you ask any Pakistani politician about the state of minorities or how protected they are in Pakistan, their prompt nefarious reply will be that minorities are happy and enjoying equal rights in the country.

This is despite incidents like Shanti Nagar, Gojra, Sialkot, Badmi Bagh and the attack on a Peshawar church being self-evident as to the increasing religious intolerance against minorities by the state and Islamic society.

If they insist on arguing that minorities are safe in Pakistan, why is that there is so much international concern about the protection of minorities’ rights, safety and honour?

The world seems worried about them and questions are reverberating in the House of Commons, EU and even in America about the oppression of minorities and misuse of blasphemy laws against them.
Whether Pakistani politicians are genuinely oblivious, or simply choosing to ignore the obvious, there is no doubt that the situation could be very costly for them.

The Pakistani government wants the world to see the treatment of minorities through their eyes – set within the context of an Islamic state – while at the same time espousing democracy. Yet turning a blind eye to harsh realities suggests they are not interested in Pakistan’s future.

On May 1 during the Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion debate at the House of Commons, Naomi Long MP said she believes that equality and religious freedom are fundamental to a democratic society, and that both must be promoted and protected, with the situation in Pakistan being extremely serious.

Mr David Burrow MP commended the timeliness of the debate, because only the day before Pakistan’s Prime Minister visited and met Prime Minister David Cameron, while Pakistani Christians were protesting and making the point that a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated the situation in Pakistan is the worst in the world for religious freedom.
Pakistani Christians hope that Mr. Cameron would have raised the issue of the misuse of blasphemy laws with the Pakistani Prime Minister – as he assured Mr. Rehman Chishti he would do when question about the matter in PMQs on April 9.

During an Easter reception at 10 Downing Street Mr Cameron expressed his desire to do more to raise the profile of the persecution of Christians. He also said that we should stand up against the persecution of Christians and other groups and should be unashamed in doing so.

There was time when it was just a few organisations and clergy who were concerned about Christians’ suffering, but now that several politicians, and even the prime minster himself, have openly expressed their concerns about the misuse of the blasphemy laws and Christians’ persecution, support seems to be growing.

It is a very clear message but Pakistani ministers have a very thick skin and will not understand until they are made to face the consequences for not ensuring the protection of minorities.

During his time in the UK Mian Nawaz Sharif has met many community leaders, but has not bothered to see the Christians. He has become Prime Minister of Pakistan for the third time, but I wish he had realised that the world has changed so much since he started in politics. The misuse of blasphemy laws and persecution of minorities is no longer an internal matter, but it is rapidly becoming an international matter and international interference cannot be rule out.

In its April 30 annual report the USCIRF said Pakistan represents the worst situation in the world for religious freedom for countries not currently designated by the U.S. government as “countries of particular concern.”

In the past year, conditions hit an all-time low due to chronic sectarian violence targeting mostly Shi’a Muslims but also Christians, Ahmadis, and Hindus. The previous and current governments failed to provide adequate protection or to arrest perpetrators.

The Commission has again recommend that Pakistan be designated as country of particular concern (CPC). Pakistan can take advantage of being the frontline ally in the war of terror but for how long can its rulers feign ignorance?

Sajid Karim, member of the European Union has expressed his apprehensions that facilities given to the Pakistan can be taken back. Many of us do not know that the GSP plus status given to Pakistan was on the basis of all or nothing.

In the package there were many countries that the European Parliament really wants to support, such as Moldova and Georgia, so it was easily approved but many EU parliamentarians believe the Pakistani human rights situation is at its worst and doesn’t fulfil the requirements of a host of international human rights conventions it has signed.

The next year is going to be difficult for Pakistan as the European Union will finalise a framework in the coming weeks to monitor whether it is complying with the 27 UN conventions to get GSP Plus status – if Pakistan loses GSP+ plus status, only the politicians will be to blame.

On May 1 Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said to a delegation of Germany’s Lower House of Parliament, which was headed by Norbert Lammert, its president, that the government was committed to rule of law and protecting human and minorities’ rights in Pakistan.

Earlier the chief justice of Pakistan, Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, said that a law should be made to protect the minorities and thus Muslims living overseas (western countries) will be protected. The judiciary has a vital role to play in protecting human rights.

The whole world knows that Christians and other religious minorities are being persecuted in Pakistan but alas Pakistani rulers and politicians don’t want to acknowledge this, but this will not change the reality. The reality is what David Cameron, Rehman Chishti, Prince Charles, President Obama and even Pakistan’s own chief justice have said. The whole world seems concerned about minorities, but will Pakistani politicians ever listen and realise it. Though Pakistani politicians consider the laws just, but international community has a different opinion therefore the Pakistani government will have to change its view and consider minorities equal citizens of the country, if it wants to change the world’s perception of its cultural and religious tolerance.

Peril in Peshawar: role of Global Deobandi Wahabi Salafi terror machine – by Agha Shaukat Jafri September 24, 2013

This Past Sunday morning witnessed another act of genocide at the All Saints Church, one of the oldest place of worship built during the British Colonial time in the Pakhtun khuwa capitol of Peshawar. According to the latest reports, over 78 Christian worshipers that included women and children were slaughtered by the genocidal gang belonging to Al-Qaida. A few months ago, as part of the Takfiri Deobandi Wahhabi Salafist’s  Shia Genocide agenda,  hundreds of Shia Muslims  were butchered, first in Quetta and a short while after that in Abbas Town and later in Parachinar. Also desecrated and demolished were a bunch of Churches in the City of Lahore, and Shia Mosques in various vicinities of Pakistan. So continues the carnage of destruction and bloodshed in a country, which at the time of its creation  in 1947, showcased the white portion of its flag as a statement, guaranteeing the protection of its minorities. For the past 35 years, though, one mayhem after another, by the Takfiri Deobandi Wahhabi Salafist elements  has produced an endless count of maimed and dead members of its citizenry, however neither the Military nor any Civilian government has been able to contain these evil elements much less eradicating them from the civic and political fiber of this republic.

PML-N backed Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorists burn 8 Christians alive in Gojra. Shame CM Shahbaz Sharif! August 2, 2009

Fear and shame of Gojra

After a week of simmering Muslim-Christian dispute over the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in tehsil Gojra in Toba Tek Singh district in Punjab, violence has broken out simply because the local administration ignored orders from Lahore to control the situation. The Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, has suspended the persons responsible for letting this very familiar type of incident get out of hand. Seven Christians have been burnt alive and their houses torched. There may be more casualties.

As usual a “banned organisation” — Federal Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti says it was Sipah Sahaba — came in from outside the town and took over and used acid and petrol bombs to destroy property and kill Christian women and children, while the local government and police simply did nothing. The federal government has taken serious note by sending in the Rangers and the Punjab government has ordered an inquiry into what really transpired. Compensation for the destroyed property has already been announced.

There is a pattern of violence against Christians in Punjab that cannot be ignored. First of all, let us ask why it happens mainly in Punjab? Some facts are illustrative. The Christians of Pakistan are the largest religious minority in Pakistan. The total number of Christians in Pakistan was at least 2 million in 2008, or 1.1 percent of the population. An examination of birth records yields a total number of Christians at 2.8 million. More than 90 percent of the country’s Christians reside in Punjab, making them the largest religious minority in the province. And 60 percent of them live in the villages, and in most cases are more indigenous to their areas than the Muslims.

Charges of blasphemy and desecration of the Quran are “used” against them, but the latter is used against them collectively, followed by organised dispossession and destruction of property. In 1997, the twin villages of Shantinagar-Tibba Colony 12 kilometres east of Khanewal, Multan Division, were looted and burnt by 20,000 Muslim citizens and 500 policemen acting together after an incident of alleged desecration of the Quran was reported. The police first evacuated the Christian population of 15,000, then helped the raiders use battle-field explosives to blow up their houses and property. Sipah Sahaba was also blamed by the Christians for that holocaust.

In 2005, the Christian community of Sangla Hill in Nankana district in Punjab experienced a most hair-raising day of violence and vandalism. After allegations of desecration of the Quran, a mob of 3,000 led by the local elected politician and police burnt down three churches, a missionary-run school, two hostels and several houses belonging to the Christian community. Lahore’s archbishop stated that the attackers had been brought there by buses from outside. The Punjab government once again acted quickly to compensate for the neglect and complicity of the local administration, but was prevented from proceeding fairly by a renowned Sunni cleric of Lahore who took his own lashkar of youths to “defend” the Muslims in Sangla Hill. Ironically, he has since fallen to a suicide-bomber of the Taliban.

These were big incidents that not only shook Pakistan but the world too. The Archbishop of Canterbury, already expressing sympathy with Pakistan after the earthquake in Azad Kashmir, was forced to say after Sangla that Pakistan was in the process of redefining who could be its citizens. Smaller incidents of persecution of the Christians have never stopped, but Gojra tells us that holocausts can repeat themselves as civic virtue declines in Pakistan under the influence of extremism.

We don’t know whom the laws of blasphemy and desecration were supposed to target, but their intent was to stop the crime mentioned in them. Tragically, blasphemy cases have proliferated after the promulgation of the blasphemy law, and action taken against the accused is not by the state but by the vigilantes the state cannot control. Section 295-B Defiling of copy of the holy Quran says: “Whoever wilfully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Quran or an extract therefrom, or uses it in a derogatory manner or any unlawful purpose, shall be punishable with imprisonment for life”. But the punishment has been inflicted without trial on people who had nothing to do with it.

These are signals of doom. And the crime is being committed by the non-state actors that were once considered “assets” of the military-state. Their dominance in Punjab is well established and their control over local population to the detriment of local administration is also well known. The laws mean nothing under these circumstances. * (Daily Times, 3 Aug 2009)

Wusatullah Khan’s analysis on BBC Urdu.com

جنگل کی راہ !

وسعت اللہ خان

بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد

گوجرہ میں مشتعل مسلمان ہجوم نے عیسائیوں کے درجنوں گھر نذرِ آتش کردیے

یہ بات ہے سترہ جنوری انیس سو ستانوے کی۔ پولیس نے شراب کی غیرقانونی فروخت کے الزام میں جنوبی پنجاب کےضلع خانیوال کے گاؤں شانتی نگر میں راج مسیح کے گھر چھاپہ مارا۔لیکن کوئی بوتل برآمد نہ ہوسکی مگر تلاشی کے دوران انجیل کو اٹھا کر پھینک دیا گیا اور راج مسیح کو تھانے میں بند کردیا گیا۔ مقامی عیسائی آبادی نے انجیل کی بے حرمتی کے خلاف جلوس نکالا۔جس کا نوٹس لیتے ہوئے مقامی انتظامیہ نے کچھ پولیس اہلکاروں کو ڈیوٹی سے معطل کردیا۔مگر پولیس والوں نے دھمکی دی کہ اگر الزامات واپس نہ لئے گئے تو عیسائیوں کو خمیازہ بھگتنا پڑے گا۔

تین ہفتے بعد پانچ فروری کو شانتی نگر کی ایک مقامی مسجد سے اعلان ہوا کہ عیسائیوں نے قران کے دو یا تین صفحات جلا دیے ہیں اور یہ صفحات مسجد کے باہر پائے گئے ہیں۔ خبر پھیلتے ہی اردگرد کے چودہ دیہاتوں سے تقریباً بیس ہزار افراد نے عیسائیوں کے دو دیہات شانتی نگر اور ٹوبہ کی جانب مارچ شروع کردیا۔ خانیوال شہر اور دونوں عیسائی دیہاتوں میں پندرہ سو گھراور دوکانیں، بارہ چرچ ، ایک ہاسٹل اور ڈسپنسری تباہ کردی گئی۔ درجن بھر خواتین کی بے حرمتی ہوئی۔اخبار فرائیڈے ٹائمز کے مطابق پولیس نے پہلے پندرہ ہزار عیسائی آبادی کو علاقہ چھوڑ کر محفوظ مقامات پر جانے کو کہا اس کے بعد بلوائیوں کو کھلی چھوٹ دے دی گئی۔ انسانی حقوق کمیشن نے کہا انیس سو سینتالیس کے بعد سے پاکستان میں یہ اپنی نوعیت کا بدترین واقعہ تھا۔

آئیے آگے بڑھیں۔

عیسائی پاکستان کی آبادی کا ڈیڑھ فیصد ہیں۔جب سے پاکستان میں مقدس کتابوں اور انبیاء کی بے حرمتی پر سزائے موت کا قانون لاگو ہے، تقریباً ایک ہزار افراد اس کی زد میں آ چکے ہیں اور ان میں سے نوے فیصد سے زائد ملزم عیسائی ہیں۔ زیادہ تر الزامات کے پیچھے لڑکی، ذاتی و سیاسی رنجش، جائیداد کا جھگڑا یا مذہبی نفرت کا اظہار بتایا جاتا ہے مگر بے حرمتی کا معاملہ اتنا حساس ہے کہ صرف الزام ہی کافی ہے۔ عدالت تک پہنچنے سے پہلے ہی مجمع ملزموں سے انفرادی اور اجتماعی انصاف کرچکا ہوتا ہے۔اور ایسے اکثر واقعات میں پولیس موقع واردات پر پہنچنے والا آخری ادارہ ہوتا ہے۔

یہ بات نومبر دو ہزار پانچ کی ہے۔ فیصل آباد کے نواحی قصبے سانگلہ ہل میں جہاں نوے فیصد مسلمان اور دس فیصد عیسائی رہتے ہیں، یوسف مسیح نامی شخص نے دو مسلمانوں سے تاش کے جوئے میں بھاری رقم جیت لی۔ اگلے روز ان میں سے ایک ہارا ہوا جواری ایک مقامی جلد ساز کے پاس قرآن کا خستہ حال نسخہ لے کر پہنچا اور کہا کہ یوسف مسیح نے اس کی بے حرمتی کی ہے۔ مقامی مسجد سے اعلان ہوا کہ یوسف مسیح نامی ایک شخص نے قرآن کے صفحات جلائے ہیں۔ یہ سنتے ہی تقریباً ڈیڑھ ہزار افراد جمع ہوگئے۔ ایک درجن گھر، پانچ گرجے، تین سکول، ایک کانونٹ اور ایک ڈسپنسری تباہ ہوگئی۔ تین ماہ بعد لاہور کی انسدادِ دہشت گردی کی ایک عدالت نے یوسف مسیح کو ناکافی ثبوت کی بنیاد پر بری کردیا۔ ساتھ ہی عیسائی املاک کو نقصان پہنچانے کے الزام میں پکڑے گئے اٹھاسی افراد بھی ناکافی ثبوت کی بنیاد پر بری ہوگئے۔

عیسائی پاکستان کی آبادی کا ڈیڑھ فیصد ہیں۔جب سے پاکستان میں مقدس کتابوں اور انبیاء کی بے حرمتی پر سزائے موت کا قانون لاگو ہے، تقریباً ایک ہزار افراد اس کی زد میں آ چکے ہیں اور ان میں سے نوے فیصد سے زائد ملزم عیسائی ہیں۔ زیادہ تر الزامات کے پیچھے لڑکی، ذاتی و سیاسی رنجش، جائیداد کا جھگڑا یا مذہبی نفرت کا اظہار بتایا جاتا ہے مگر بے حرمتی کا معاملہ اتنا حساس ہے کہ صرف الزام ہی کافی ہے۔ عدالت تک پہنچنے سے پہلے ہی مجمع ملزموں سے انفرادی اور اجتماعی انصاف کرچکا ہوتا ہے۔اور ایسے اکثر واقعات میں پولیس موقع واردات پر پہنچنے والا آخری ادارہ ہوتا ہے۔

اس پورے ڈرامے میں ایک عنصر یہ شامل ہوا ہے کہ پہلے جو مجمع صرف ملزم کا تعاقب کرتا تھا اب وہ ملزم کی برادری کا بھی اسی جوش و جذبے سے تعاقب کرتا ہے۔فیصل آباد کے قریب گوجرہ میں ہونے والے واقعات اس رجحان کا تازہ ثبوت ہیں۔

بہت ہی کم مقدمات میں جرم ثابت ہوسکا لیکن جھوٹا الزام لگانے والے کسی ایک مدعی کو بھی قرار واقعی سزا نہیں مل سکی۔اس کے برعکس بے گناہی ثابت ہونے کے باوجود عموماً ملزم کو ہی علاقہ یا ملک چھوڑنا پڑا۔یا بے حرمتی کے قوانین کے تحت نظربند متعدد ملزموں کو عدالت کے احاطے یا جیل میں ہی پولیس کی موجودگی میں قتل ہونا پڑا۔

اس پورے ڈرامے میں ایک عنصر یہ شامل ہوا ہے کہ پہلے جو مجمع صرف ملزم کا تعاقب کرتا تھا اب وہ ملزم کی برادری کا بھی اسی جوش و جذبے سے تعاقب کرتا ہے۔فیصل آباد کے قریب گوجرہ میں ہونے والے واقعات اس رجحان کا تازہ ثبوت ہیں۔

اس تناظر میں جب میڈیا فلسطین میں اہلِ یہود کے ہاتھوں مسلمانوں سےہونے والے سلوک پر تشویش کا اظہار کرتا ہے۔ جب مقامی دانشور بوسنیا میں سرب عیسائیوں کی جانب سے مسلمانوں کی نسل کشی کا رقت آمیزحوالہ دیتا ہے۔جب وزارتِ خارجہ بھارتی ریاست گجرات میں ہندو بلوائیوں کے ہاتھوں دو ہزار مسلمانوں کی ہلاکت یاد دلاتی ہے اور جب امام صاحب پوری دنیا میں مسلمانوں سے زیادتی کرنے والوں کے خلاف نگاہیں آسمان کی جانب اٹھا کر خدائی مدد مانگتے ہیں تو جی چاہتا ہے کہ گریبان پھاڑ کر قہقہے لگاتے ہوئے جنگل کی راہ لی جائے۔

Haroon-ur-Rashid’s Analysis on the Gojra Massacre

Jang, 4 August 2009

…

Outlawed terrorists in Gojra

As the government moved on Sunday to register cases against 800 people involved in killing 7 Christians in Gojra, sources in Gojra have revealed that the killers came from outside the city, from Jhang, the hometown of Sipah Sahaba. According to them, the government had received information that “a group of armed men with masked faces had come from Jhang to lead the violence against Christians on the pretext of desecration of the Holy Quran”.

The outsiders first made provocative speeches to arouse the Muslim community against the local Christian community before setting fire to the houses of the Christians while they were still inside. Improvised bombs of the sort stocked by jihadi organisations were used and one was actually shown in a photograph printed by a national daily. The mischief was started by a “maulvi” who arrived in the targeted Gojra village six months ago. There is no “external hand” here, as announced by an official in Lahore.

Christians and Muslims of the village are mostly brick-kiln workers living peacefully, but for the three mosques in the village where the outsiders set up their group. Maulvi Imran Aslam and his two followers first alleged that Christians had torn up the Quran and thrown it up in the air during a wedding. Then, instead of taking the matter to the police, they went on the loudspeakers and asked the Muslims to attack and kill “all the Christians”.

The Gojra case follows on the heels of a similar recent case in Kasur near Lahore. But the Punjab administration, which should have known better, remained sleeping. The Gojra police simply hoped the trouble would blow over with a few Christians hurt and Muslim passions satisfied, but it did not happen. Christians have been killed according to plans made by Al Qaeda and its followers, as witnessed in the churches of Islamabad, Murree and Bahawalpur. The pattern of violence resembles the one witnessed in Shantinagar in 1997 and Sangla Hill in 2005.

The federal and provincial governments must remain steadfast in their resolve to punish the culprits and compensate the dirt-poor Christians of Gojra. Last time, in Shantinagar and Sangla Hill, the help they finally extended to the victims was neither enough nor well organised. (Daily TImes, 4 August 2009)

Comments

comments