Pakistan: Regions and areas in which Christians (groups of) have been attacked by Muslim extremists (since January 1996)

Pakistan has a population that is approximately 96 per cent Muslim, with the Christian and Hindu communities each comprising approximately 2 per cent (Europa 1998 1998, 2629). The majority of Christians live in Punjab province (The Herald Feb. 1997, 68). The 1981 national census reported the total number of Christians as 1,310,426, although the Christian community felt that its number had been under-estimated, thereby affecting negatively its political clout (Églises d'Asie 16 Apr. 1998, 9).

The information that follows refers to violence perpetrated against groups of Christians rather than against individual Christians.

Human Rights Watch World Report 1996 reported that due to the repeated threats of violence from Muslim extremists following the famous February 1995 acquittal of Rehmat Masih and 14-year old Salamat Masih by the Lahore High Court, not only did the two Christians have to leave immediately for their new European country where they had been granted asylum, but "all the Christian families residing in Ratta Dhotran, the acquitted defendants' home village, were forced to flee their homes permanently by religious zealots" (HRW Dec. 1995, 168).

In a well-publicized October 1996 incident, an entire Christian settlement of 14 (or 19) Christian families fled the village of Arifwala in Pakpattan, Punjab, fearing reprisals from their Muslim neighbours, and become unregistered refugees on the canal bank, following the arrest of Ayub Masih allegedly for blasphemy (HRCP 1997, 80; Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor 22 July 1997).

In its 1996 and 1997 annual reports, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported the seizure of Christian lands by "local bullies" (HRCP 1997, 80; ibid. Feb. 1998, 142). The HRCP stated that "some of the Christians settlements were occupying lands that had now become prized sites. That lent an edge to the fanatical sentiment; the persons with an eye on that property set about fanning the religious sentiment among the general public" (HRCP Feb. 1998, 142). The 1997 HRCP annual report also referred to the continuing threat of eviction facing hundreds of Christian families of the three villages of Chowk Munda in Muzaffargarh who had lived and worked on that land for between 15 and 20 years, as well as to the destruction by the local administration of 70 mostly Christian-owned homes of 150 houses in Khairpur Bhutta Colony in Multan (HRCP Feb. 1998, 142). The 1998 HRCP annual report provides similar examples, referring to the forced occupation of church land in Khangah Dogran, the demolition of Christian shops and houses in Lahore, an explosion inside an historic church in Sukkur and the dismantling of a Christian abadi in Sialkot (Dawn 10 Mar. 1999). According to HRCP, however, the fact that the victims of demolition, eviction and even rape are Christian is not always the main factor for their mistreatment, as "poor and resourceless communities of Muslims" sometimes also suffer the same fate; but non-Muslims have the additional handicap of not having vocal and powerful enough political representation to draw attention to the injustices perpetrated against them due to the separate electorates (HRCP Feb. 1998, 143).

On 5-6 February 1997 a mob of 15-30,000 Muslims attacked and burned 13 Christian churches in Shantinagar, home to approximately 15,000 Christians, in Khanewal district, and looted and destroyed thousands of Christian homes and properties to "punish an alleged act of blasphemy" against the Qur'an that had reportedly been committed by a Christian (HRCP Feb. 1998, 141-42; Dawn 26 Feb. 1997; AFP 13 Mar. 1997; LCHR July 1997, 197). The rumour was later found to be baseless (Dawn 26 Feb. 1997), although three policemen had apparently instigated the Shantinagar attack in retaliation for having cases filed against them by a Christian for desecrating a Bible in his home in January (AFP 13 Mar. 1997; AI 1998 1998, 267; HRCP Feb. 1998, 141-42). By the end of February, the police had reportedly arrested 97 people on charges of alleged involvement in the attacks, and had registered 25 FIRs against those who had provoked the attacks on the Christians and had been found to possess looted property (Dawn 26 Feb. 1997). From 12 March-12 April 1997 high court judge Tanveer Ahmed Khan held public hearings for the judicial inquiry into the Shantinagar violence (AFP 13 Mar. 1997; HRCP Feb. 1998, 142), but the report, submitted to the Punjab government in July 1997, was never made public (ibid.; AI 1998, 267). The authorities also undertook to rebuild the damaged homes and churches, although victims complained that they had not been reimbursed for the loss of their valuables (Dawn 26 Feb. 1997; Country Reports 1997 1998; HRCP Feb. 1998, 142). Country Reports 1997 reported that

the villagers remain fearful of further attacks and the police officers believed to be responsible for the riot, though transferred and briefly suspended, have not faced criminal sanctions. The 86 persons who were charged with offences related to the attack remain free on bail and there was not indication that authorities planned to bring them to trial (1998).

More recent incidents of violence against groups of Christians (as opposed to individual Christians) could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 13 March 1997. "Pakistan Inquiry Opens into Mob Attack on Christian Village." (NEXIS)

Amnesty International (AI). 1998. Amnesty International Report 1998. New York: Amnesty International.

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs, United States. 22 July 1997. United States Policies in Support of Religious Freedom: Focus on Christians. Washington, DC: Department of State.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997. 1998. United States Department of State. [Electronic version]

Dawn [Karachi]. 10 March 1999. "Highest Rate of Death Sentences in Pakistan: HRCP." [Internet] [Accessed 11 Mar. 1999]

_____. 26 February 1997. "Shantinagar, Khanewal Violence: 97 Held." [Internet] [Accessed 28 Feb. 1997]

Églises d'Asie [Paris]. 16 April 1998. No. 263. "Pakistan: Un nouveau recensement national pourrait établir le véritable nombre de chrétiens dans le pays.'

The Europa World Year Book 1998. 1998. Vol. 2. London: Europa Publications Ltd.

The Herald [Karachi]. February 1997. Azhar Abbas. "Election '97: The Christian Candidates."

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). February 1998. State of Human Rights in 1997. Lahore: HRCP.

_____. 1997. State of Human Rights in 1996. Lahore: HRCP.

Human Rights Watch (HRW). December 1995. Human Rights Watch World Report 1996. New York: HRW.

Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR). July 1997. Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996. New York: LCHR.

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International Report. Yearly. 1997, 1998.

Asian Survey [Berkeley, Calif.]. Monthly. January 1997-November 1998.

Christianity in Pakistan. n.d. A Short History of the Catholic Church in Pakistan. [Internet]

Christianity in Pakistan Website.

Critique: Review of the United States Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996. July 1997.

Current History [Philadelphia]. Monthly. January 1996-April 1999.

Currents [Toronto]. Infrequent reports. 1996.

Dawn Weekly Service (DWS) [Karachi]. Weekly. January-March 1998.

Églises d'Asie [Paris]. Fortnightly. January 1996-present.

The Herald [Karachi]. Monthly. January-December 1996, January 1998-March 1999.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). February 1998. State of Human Rights in 1997.

Human Rights in Developing Countries Yearbook. Yearly. 1996, 1998.

Human Rights Watch World Report. Yearly. December 1996, December 1997, December 1998.

Jilani, Hina. 1998. Human Rights and Democratic Development in Pakistan.

Multifaith Information Manual. 1995.

Religion in Third World Politics. 1994.

Resource Centre. "Pakistan" country file January 1996-present.

Vie et mort des chrétiens d'Orient. 1994.

Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases.

Non-documentary sources:

Unsuccessful attempts to contact:

- the National Council of Churches in Pakistan, Lahore.

- United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, Rawalpindi.

- Bishops' Conference, Lahore.

- Church of Pakistan, Hyderabad.