Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rawalpindi (Agenzia Fides) - "The tragic case of Shazia will not be the last. It is very sad. The girl was tortured and killed for no reason. She was young, weak, and Christian, and therefore, a perfect victim. We see disdain for an intolerable situation." This is what Agenzia Fides was told by Francis Mehboob Sada, a Catholic and Director of the Christian Study Center in Rawalpindi. The Ecumenical Center is a place for documentation, study, and reflection, much appreciated for its work of monitoring and reporting on the plight of Christians in Pakistan and for engaging in interreligious dialogue.
"Christians are persecuted and are not treated like other citizens. We are discriminated. Christians in society, especially poor families, suffer all forms of violence and bullying. We have documented a litany of cases that bear witness to this. The police and the government does not do much to protect us and often many cases end in impunity," he pointed out.
The series of attacks against Christian communities took a dramatic turn in 2009: "Christians have risked ethnic cleansing from attacks by Muslim extremists, always with the same excuses. For example: on June 30, 2009 in Kasur, more than 110 Christian families accused of blasphemy were forced to flee their homes for fear of attacks by Muslims from nearby villages. July 30, 2009, Gojra, about forty Christian families, accused of violating the law on blasphemy, were attacked by several arsonists. Two days later, again in Gojra, a mob of extremists set fire to Christian homes and people. Nine women and children, unable to flee or hide, were burned alive." Mehboob Sada states that "the culprits are known: they are the militants of the extremist organization already outlawed by the government." Furthermore, "September 15, 2009, in Sialkot, the body of a young Christian, Robert Fanish Masih, was found hanged in an absurd manner in a prison. According to police officers, it was a suicide and the incident was covered up."
The Director recalled that "even the past shows that we Christians in Pakistan live in times of insecurity and precariousness."
Shazia's incident was also condemned by the National Commission for Human Rights and other organizations active in civil society. Some associations of lawyers have, however, defended Chaudhry Muhammad Neem. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 25/01/2010)
