Equal rights: Protesters condemn attack on Okara church

Say they will stage another demonstration in Lahore on March 14.

OKARA:

Dozens of rights activists and members of the Masiha Millat Party (MMP) on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration against police for its failure to arrest those involved in demolishing an under construction church in Chak 3/4-L, Okara.

The Protesters took out a rally from St James Catholic Church to Okara Press Club and demanded that the culprits be immediately arrested.

Speaking on the occasion, MMP leader Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra condemned the attack on the Christian worship place.

“The disrespect to the holy verses and the holy cross is condemnable,” he said.

Sahotra alleged that some police officials in Okara were supporting those who had attacked the church.

“The MMP will stage another protest against the attack in front of the Lahore Press Club on March 14,” he said.

Sharing Life Ministry of Pakistan leader Yousaf Kamran, Human Liberation Commission Secretary Coordinator Aftab Gul, Punjab MMP President William Javed, Okara MMP president Javed Iqbal and Christian Labour Party Chairman Zulfiqar Sindhu also spoke on the occasion.

Some Christians of Chak 3/4-L, Okara, had started the construction of a church on, what they claimed was their land.

They had erected a wall and installed a cross and engraved some Biblical verses.

On March 9, around 20 people had demolished the structure and ploughed the land.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2014.