Rt Reverend Bishop Dr Azad Marshall of the Church of Pakistan has destroyed the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led Indian government for actively promoting saffron terror as persecution and violence against all religious minorities reach a new high across India.
“It’s high time the world takes notice of the brutal violence being perpetrated against the Kashmiris and other religious minorities in the name of Hindu nationalism,” Pakistan’s senior-most bishop said while addressing a presser in Lahore on Friday.
After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rose to power, the attacks on India’s minority communities have risen significantly.
“Over 1,400 incidents of persecution against Christians, that include rapes, communal violence, forced conversions, have been reported,” the bishop said, adding that such occurrences were becoming common day by day due to the ruling BJP’s hateful rhetoric.
“No one but Hindus feel safe in India due to the intolerant Hindutva ideology and hijacking of Indian state by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),” Dr Azad added.
“Indians can only be Hindu, so goes this extreme form of nationalism.”
He added that every month of 2019 saw more incidents of persecution against Christians in India than they did in 2018.
“Pakistani Christians demand the international community to press India to immediately lift the curfew and lockdown in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir region and allow Kashmiris as well as other religious minorities living across the country to live in peace,” he said.
Dr Azad further said that Pakistani Christians were standing firmly behind the armed forces of the country and fully supported the government’s efforts to highlight the Kashmir crisis on global forums.
SUPPORT TO GOVT OVER AZADI MARCH:
Extending his support to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) forthcoming Azadi March, he said that the Church of Pakistan would “not support any effort to destabilise the government at this critical juncture in Pakistan’s history”.
“I urge Maulana Fazlur Rehman and all other political leaders to resolve their issues through dialogue and desist from any sort of violence. Any political upheaval at this time will only damage the Kashmir cause and affect efforts to turnaround Pakistan’s economic situation,” he said.
CHRISTIANS IN PAKISTAN:
Speaking of the issues faced by the Christian community in Pakistan, Bishop Azad admitted that the church had not played its due role in effectively addressing the religious and social issues of their congregations.
“Crucial issues such as proposed amendments to the Christian Marriage and Divorce Act and the recent ruling of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) allowing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to take over the church-owned historical Edwardes College, calls for unified and concerted efforts by the church, political leadership and the community at large,” he said.
“In light of the recent issues, I have decided to reach out to all mainstream churches and masses to persuade them to sit together in the larger interest of the community.”
Dr Azad said the Christian community in the country needed to put its own house in order to address the broader challenges it faces.
“The first step towards reformation of the church is realising the internal problems we are facing. I’m confident that all church leaders will rise beyond our differences and work together for the uplift and empowerment of our people,” he added.
Bishop Azad also hoped that coordinated efforts with the government could help in resolving other challenges facing Pakistani Christians, such as quality education, better healthcare facilities, unemployment, forced conversions and provision of fundamental rights guaranteed in the constitution.
