Tag: minority rights

  • ‘Will die here but not go back’: Indians seek asylum in Pakistan

    ‘Will die here but not go back’: Indians seek asylum in Pakistan

    Two Indian citizens who illegally travelled to Karachi last week have asserted that they would rather go to jail in Pakistan than go back to their own country.

    Identified as Mohammad Hasnain and Ishaq Ameer, the father and son want to seek asylum as their lives are threatened in India with increased religious extremism and Islamophobia, Karachi police have said.

    Dawn spoke with Karachi Deputy Inspector General of Police (South) Asad Raza who stated that the two are not suspected spies, “but were considered victims of religious bias and persecution in India”.

    For now, both the Indians have been sent to an Edhi Shelter home. According to IGP Raza, they seem to want to seek asylum here.

    The duo also protested outside Karachi Press Club on September 25 against the Indian government and its persecution of Muslims.

    “We are ready to go to jail but not back to India,” the police quoted them in a statement. “We will be killed as soon as we step on Indian land if we are deported.

    “If you want to kill us, kill us in Pakistan. At least we will get some land (for burial). In India, we won’t even get that,”

    The father-son also spoke with the media.

    The two left New Delhi on September 5 for the UAE and approached Afghanistan embassy for a visa. They then travelled to Kabul followed by air travel to Kandahar where they spent a night.

    Shedding light on the atrocities committed in India against Muslims and the lack of media coverage, Hasnain states that they are not the first ones to flee the country, stressing that many others have left before them but they could afford foreign citizenship in Europe, America, Britain, Germany, or Canada.

    “Those who are well off migrated to Turkey, Azerbaijan, or Malaysia. I did not have that stature. I had less money,” he added.
    They were not allowed to check in a hotel room in Karachi since they did not possess an identification card.

    Hasnain’s son Ameer said that they directly went to the office of IG Sindh on reaching Orangi Town, Karachi.

    “As soon as we reached there, we kept our baggage on the side, raised our hands, and said we are here to surrender.”

  • Pastor attacked near Jaranwala

    Pastor attacked near Jaranwala

    Pastor Alizer Sidhu of the Presbyterian Church survived a targeted attack in Khunwana, Faisalabad.

    The incident occurred when Pastor Sidhu was returning to his home following a prayer sermon. He was stopped by armed men who shot at him. He was then taken to the nearest hospital, where he was said to be out of danger.

    While being taken to the hospital, Pastor Sidhu recorded a video statement in which he said that armed men had stopped him and asked him to recite the Kalma, and when he refused to comply, one of the armed men chanted a slogan and opened fire at him.

    According to The Friday Times, the Pastor is a father of three.

    It is worth mentioning that on August 28, unidentified men spray painted slogans of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) on the boundary walls of the Presbyterian Church in Rehmat Town Khunwana, Faisalabad. This is the church where Pastor Alizer has been serving for the last four years.

    After the incident was picked up by the media, the slogans were removed in the presence of senior police officers.

    Last month, the Christian community in Jaranwala was attacked by a large mob of 7,000 Muslims who destroyed their houses and set fire to their churches.

    According to The Friday Times, while the Christian religious and political leadership condemned the attack on the pastor, they also demanded justice, urging for a transparent investigation into the incident.

    Additionally, they also advised the pastors and minority rights activists to remain alert and abstain from travelling unnecessarily considering the sensitive and aggravating atmosphere of Faisalabad.

  • Caretaker Prime Minister condemns attack on Christian Community in Jaranwala

    Caretaker Prime Minister condemns attack on Christian Community in Jaranwala

    On Wednesday morning, Jaranwala, Faisalabad, became the site of communal violence as multiple churches were burnt amid allegations of blasphemy against two Christian community members. Mobs attacked churches and residential houses along with office of the assistant commissioner of Jaranwala. As yet, Salvation Army Church, United Presbyterian Church, Allied Foundation Church, and Shehroonwala Church situated in the Isa Nagri area along with multiple houses have been burnt. Christian colonies all around the city have been evacuated, while the Lahore-Multan motorway was also blocked by protestors amid a complete shutter down in the city.

    Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwaar ul Haq Kakar has asked all law enforcement to apprehend the culprits & bring them to justice and given assurances that stern action will be taken against those who violate law and target minorities.

    Politicians from different political parties of Pakistan have raised their concerns, condemned the incident, and shown solidarity with the Christian community of Pakistan.

    Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the incident while saying that government should take action against the culprits.

    Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party and former Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, urged the administration to ensure the safety of the Christian community and their churches.

    The Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan, Riina Kionka, said, “We call for restoring calm & order.”

    Senator Sarfraz Bugti tweeted, “Punjab Govermnet should enforce its full might to protect the Christian churches and homes.”

    Former Interior Minister of Pakistan and President of PMLN Punjab, Rana Sanaullah said, “The culprits must be brought to justice at the earliest, and the law should take its due course.”

    Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council, Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, tweeted that there is no space in Islam for violence.

    Politician and activist Ammar Ali Jan stated that the police is helpless in front of bigots.

  • Twitterati praise Police, Rangers for saving blasphemy-accused from charged mob

    Twitterati praise Police, Rangers for saving blasphemy-accused from charged mob

    The Sindh Police and Rangers dispersed a mob that had gathered outside the home of a Hindu sanitary worker accused of alleged blasphemy on Sunday. The incident took place in Hyderabad, Sindh.

    People on social media are praising the role of the law enforcement agencies for saving the accused from the charged mob.

    Have a look at some reactions:

    https://twitter.com/alysalmaan/status/1561453107803979776

    https://twitter.com/Natsecjeff/status/1561386456739971073
    What happened?

    According to the police, a Hindu sanitary worker was targeted as a result of a personal dispute with a local resident. The accused man has been identified as Ashok Kumar, and he was charged with blasphemy under Section 295-B for allegedly desecrating the Quran.

    The case was registered on the complaint of Bilal, son of Bundo Khan Abbasi.

    After the news spread, a charged mob gathered around an apartment building and demanded that he should be handed over.

    Police then dispersed the violent mob.

  • Miftah Ismail commended for his ‘bold and clear’ comments on violence against religious minorities

    Miftah Ismail commended for his ‘bold and clear’ comments on violence against religious minorities

    Speaking on Geo News’ programme “Naya Pakistan”, Finance Minister (FM) Miftah Ismail on Sunday said that most Pakistanis are driven by emotions and not rationality.

    “How many people spoke up for a Christian couple burnt alive in an industrial kiln? A few days ago, an Ahmadi was killed but not many people raised their voices. People are scared.”

    Read more: Ahmadi man allegedly murdered for not chanting slogans in praise of Khadim Rizvi

    A 62-year-old member of the Ahmadi community named Naseer Ahmad was stabbed to death in Chenab Nagar on August 12, for allegedly refusing to chant slogans in praise of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) founder Khadim Hussain Rizvi.

    https://twitter.com/SAMRIReports/status/1559108747502538753?s=20&t=1PbwDx-IqmjAnhPaRqTy-A

    Miftah went on to say that we don’t value education and that we are an emotionally driven country. “We are an emotional country that does not give much precedence to rationality and thinking.”

    “We don’t own Nobel laureate, Dr Abdus Salam, because he was an Ahmadi. Our daughter, Malala [Yousafzai] won a Nobel Prize and we find all kinds of faults in the world and associate them with her,” said Miftah.

    The minister also said that our country lacks the basic awareness required for a country to progress because we don’t give preference to education.

    Twitterati reacted to Miftah’s comments about minority rights.

  • Equal citizens

    Recently, we heard about two bakeries in Karachi that refused to write ‘Merry Christmas’ on cakes. Both Delizia and Aunty Munaver turned away customers who wanted cakes with Christmas greetings. It is deeply disturbing to see such acts of bigotry in a country whose founder and others who fought for its freedom believed in rights for all and equality regardless of caste, creed, and faith. Yet we see how non-Muslims in Pakistan continue to face discrimination on a regular basis.

    Today, when we celebrate Christmas with our Christian brethren and wish them a day full of joy, we hope that our society will change for the better. Today is also the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who taught us the meaning of tolerance and who believed in pluralism and inclusiveness.

    We often repeat and quote Jinnah’s August 11 speech but it is important to reiterate what he said again and again: “We are starting in the days where there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one state.”

    This is what Pakistan stands for as this is what our founder taught us. It was good to see many people raising their voices against those bakeries that refused to write Merry Christmas on their cakes. It was social media outcry that led to Delizia bakery management on the backfoot and saying that it was an individual act. Whether it was an individual act or not can be ascertained as this isn’t the first time that such an incident took place. This year, we saw the horrible lynching of a Sri Lankan national. The government took strong exception to the incident and promised to take action against all those responsible. But the incident also showed how intolerance has seeped into our society. It is this bigotry and intolerance that has to end. On the birth anniversary of Jinnah, we should pledge to make this Jinnah’s Pakistan and not a Pakistan where extremism prospers. Once again, Merry Christmas to all those celebrating. 

  • Pakistan celebrates National Minority Day

    Pakistan celebrates National Minority Day

    Pakistan celebrates National Minority Day today, remembering the contribution of minorities in the progress of Pakistan.

    August 11 marks the day to reaffirm our founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision that despite belonging to different faiths, we are one nation.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted, “Let Quaid e Azam’s historic speech of August 11 1947 resonate & let us unite to honour spirit & sanctity of his words. Celebrating the white in our flag.”

    Qureshi also shared a video message.

    Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted that August 11 is a reaffirmation of the vision of Quaid-e-Azam.

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “Reopening of the mandir in Rahim Yar Khan on August 11 signifies the importance government attaches to rights of minorities, respect for religious beliefs is our core policy.”

    “We will ensure all citizens enjoy life and liberty as per Constitution of Pakistan mandate,” tweeted Fawad.

    A Hindu temple in Bhong town was recently vandalised by a mob, but is has been completely restored to its original structure and handed over back to the members of the minority community.

  • ‘Restore the Mandir’: minority rights in Pakistan

    ‘Restore the Mandir’: minority rights in Pakistan

    A week from now, Pakistan will be celebrating 74 years of independence from the British. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in his August 11 address to the Constituent Assembly, promised the people of Pakistan that we will live in a country where there will be religious freedom and no intolerance. “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state,” said the Quaid. Our founder was a great proponent of minority rights but it seems that the people of Pakistan do not want to pay any heed to his words.

    On Wednesday, a mob attacked a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan district after a court granted bail to an eight-year-old Hindu boy who was accused of allegedly urinating in a local seminary. The main door of the temple was burned down and statues of Hindu deities were also damaged. Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the incident and ordered the police to take action against the culprits. PM Khan also announced on Twitter that the government will “restore the Mandir”. Chief Justice Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed reprimanded the police and the local administration for just standing there and watching. CJP Gulzar also said that we should imagine what would have been the reaction of Muslims, had a mosque been demolished like the Hindu temple was. The Supreme Court also directed the police to arrest the culprits.

    This is not the first temple attack in Pakistan. Since last year, there have been several attacks on temples all across the country. August 11 has been declared as the National Minorities Day in Pakistan since 2009. Imagine, how our Hindu brethren would have felt that their place of worship was attacked just days before we pay lip service to the rights of minorities. As per the 6th Population and Housing Census 2017, there are 96.47 per cent Muslims in Pakistan. As for the minorities, there are 1.27 per cent Christians, 1.73 per cent Hindus, 0.09 per cent Ahmadis, 0.41per cent scheduled caste, and 0.02 per cent others. In a country dominated by Muslims, why can we not respect the rights of other religious minorities? It is unfortunate how we continue to fail our own citizens, our minorities. We hope the authorities will arrest the culprits and the government will protect our minorities. 

  • Ahmadi graveyard attacked during a woman’s burial

    Ahmadi graveyard attacked during a woman’s burial

    An Ahmadi graveyard in Sheikhupura was attacked by extremists who attempted to stop the burial of an Ahmadi woman.

    When the woman’s dead body was brought to the graveyard for burial, a mob attacked the graveyard and tried to stop the family from burying the woman there as the deceased was an Ahmadi. Despite this, the minority community’s members managed to finish the burial process.

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s Focal Person Azhar Mashwani wrote in a tweet that police and members of the administration reached the site as soon as the incident was reported.

    Mashwani also quoted the district administration as saying that two different areas have been demarcated for both communities’ graveyard as per an agreement between elders of both communities. He said that this “longstanding issue of graveyard is resolved”.

  • Mahira Khan urges Shireen Mazari to protect minorities, ‘lead by example’

    Mahira Khan urges Shireen Mazari to protect minorities, ‘lead by example’

    Mahira Khan has urged Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari to “lead by example” and look into giving protection to minorities after a 200-strong mob attacked a Christian family in Okara.

    Read more – Mahira Khan wants more swift action against child rapists

    The actor tagging Mazari in a tweet wrote: “Dear Shireen Mazari, your attention needed here please. We need to lead by example.”

    According to reports, Christian boys were beaten in a Muslim-majority village in the Okara district of Punjab following which a mob of villagers attacked the Christian community in the area.

    Father Khalid Mukhtar, parish priest of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Chak 5 said the attack was sparked following an attack on Catholic youngsters on May 14.

    “The boys were cleaning the church when one of the Muslim landlords, passing by the church, accused them of throwing dust on him. They attacked the boys and then raided 15 houses of our community the next day,” said the priest.

    Mangta Masih, a labourer lost his thumb when the mob attacked his house.

    “We hid our women inside while they tried to break in,” said Masih. “One of them grabbed me from behind and another struck with a sickle blade. I tried to prevent the blow with my right hand. I fell down and they kept beating us with batons.”

    He further shared that the attackers were “armed with glass bottles, stones, axes, batons and bricks”.

    “Others used stairs to climb to our roofs and started breaking our furniture. We pleaded to spare the women but the attack continued for half an hour,” said Masih.

    Another woman who was wounded in the attack said that the mob “broke the locks, grabbed our hair and pulled us out one by one”.

    “Young girls were assaulted and left with torn clothes,” said the woman, detailing the horror. Christian activists have been sharing disturbing footage of the attack on social media.

    Following the attacks, Father Mukhtar conducted a meeting of parish committee members on May 16 at St. Thomas Church, gathered statements of the injured and filed a complaint at the local police station.

    The local deputy superintendent of police visited the site and assured locals that a first information report (FIR) would be registered against the assailants under Section 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    Meanwhile, Osman Khalid Butt also urged the Federal Minister to take notice and protect religious minorities in the country.