Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – There are thousands of Christian and Sikh families among the refugees who have had to abandon their homes, lands, businesses, and towns in the Swat Valley to flee the conflict that has broken out between the Pakistani Army and Taliban soldiers.
Agenzia Fides has learned that civil organizations working for the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan are monitoring the exodus of refugees that in have in recent days increased. There is a large presence of Christian and Sikh families, who have been forced to flee the districts of Swat, Buner, Shangla, and Lower Dir, all in the North-West Frontier Province, where Pakistani soldiers have launched attacks against the Taliban.
The area is now undergoing a humanitarian crisis (see Fides 11/5/2009) that is worsening and according to international organizations, could turn into a tragedy.
Many Christian families had already fled the area following intimidations and threats from Islamic fundamentalist groups that in the past two years have gained greater influence and place in the society, imposing Islamic laws and customs, forcing schools and Christian businesses to close their doors, taking control of the streets and the bureaucracy (see Fides 6/11/2008 and 11/9/2007). The situation worsened when the Pakistani government approved the imposition of the Sharia in the Province (see Fides 16/4/2009).
Today, there is a rising number of Christian refugees: the Swat Valley has been emptied and it will be unlikely that families now in exile return to their lands. This would only be possible if the Pakistani army gained absolute and definitive control of the territory, establishing a constitutional state and the fundamental freedoms for all citizens, including non-Islamic citizens, many of which have lived in the area over 60 years.
Hundreds of Christian families in past days have reached Rasalpur, giving first-hand accounts of their difficulties, threats, and the violence they suffer at the hands of the Taliban. The women, for example, were forced to cover their entire face or face a punishment of beatings and abuse. Nearly 2000 Sikh refugees in the past days have reached towns in the province of Punjab, where they are taking refuge until hostilities end.
According to government calculations, in the Swat and in surrounding districts, there are nearly 5,000 well-armed Taliban who are resisting Pakistani artillery, thanks to their strategic strongholds in the mountains.
According to several local civil leaders, the Taliban do not hesitate in using civilians as human shields in an effort to create enmity between the population and the Pakistani Army. The government's activity thus far has been supported by the majority of the Pakistani people, who are calling for a return to a constitutional state in the entire country. Only some political formations of fundamentalist Islamic tendencies have criticized governmental actions. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 12/5/2009)
