Badami Bagh : ‘The government of Pakistan has failed to protect minorities’

Peshawar High Court advocate says Punjab chief minister must step down.

PESHAWAR:

The United Nations and other international humanitarian organisations should intervene and protect non-Muslims as the government of Pakistan has failed to protect them, said Bishop Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters of the Diocese of Peshawar.

In addition to setting fire to over 110 houses which accommodated 260 families in Joseph colony, Badami Bagh, Lahore, the mob also burned more than 200 copies of the Bible and two Churches, Bishop Peters pointed out at the Peshawar Press Club late Monday afternoon.

“But since Christians are considered second class citizens in Pakistan, they cannot claim blasphemy against their religion,” said Bishop Peters.



According to the Pakistan Penal Code, anybody proved guilty of desecrating the Quran will be subjected to penalty of life imprisonment under Section 295-B. Furthermore, derogatory comments about the Holy Prophet (pbuh) are punishable by a death sentence under Section 295-C.

“If this is a democratic state than why are minorities not treated under the same law?” questioned the bishop.

As a punitive measure, he asked the Punjab government to divert one month’s salary each from the secretary interior, secretary religious affairs, police commissioners, inspector general police and intelligence agencies to be distributed among the victims.

Bishop Peters said the tragic incident is a conspiracy against Christians and deemed it necessary for the religious affairs department to intervene and resolve the matter with unquestionable transparency.

“If they knew such a tragedy is going to take place, why were the Rangers or Pakistan Army not called to protect the life and property of the Christians living there?” the bishop demanded to know.

On Friday, an enraged mob went on a rampage, looking for the young man accused of blasphemy. The police lodged an FIR under Section 295-C and was informed by the mob of their plans to take further action if the accused was not found soon.

During a press conference on Monday morning, Peshawar High Court Advocate Shaukat Ghulam said: “Blasphemy laws in Punjab are being used by some people in Punjab for their own personal and political interests.”

He asked the Punjab chief minister to step down as the provincial government’s five-year tenure was miserable for minorities. “We are citizens of Pakistan and should be treated under the same law as we have also made sacrifices for this country.”

Those at the press club rejected the compensation given by the federal and Punjab government for victims of the attack, and demanded protection.

Many Christian representatives from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including Prince Javed Pyara, Asif Bhatti, Gulshan Bhatti and officials from churches were present at the Peshawar Press Club and led the rally to Sher Shah Suri Road, which was then blocked for several hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2013.