After two years “of the worst episode of violence against Christians” in the history of Pakistan, according to the Pontifical Foundation Help the needy church (UNHC, for its acronym), the bishop of Faisalabad said that the community of faithful is outraged before the apparent failure of justice.
He August 16, 2023 And later days, the Muslims of the town of Jaranwala, in the Diocese of Faisalabad, looted and set more than 25 churches and at least 80 Christian households.
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According to ACN, two months ago the local courts “absolute ten people accused of burning one of the churches.” Another 5 213 people were accused of charges related to attacks, of which more than 380 were arrested. However, many were released on bail. To date no conviction has been issued.
Mons. Indrias Rehmat spoke with the Pontifical Foundation about the case, denouncing the lack of justice and explaining the feeling of local Christians:
“Justice has not been done. The police have not fulfilled their duty. No one has been punished and no one has received the punishment he deserves. At this time, we see no hope that the guilty will be punished,” said the bishop.
The Christians, says Mons. Rehmat, have received physical threats and harassment from local extremists “for daring to ask for justice, but now they were so enraged that they were determined to raise their voice.”
“What has changed in the last two years since the attacks is that now people are willing to fight for their rights. They say we must shout and shout,” he added.
The bishop explains that the discomfort of the Christian community is exacerbated by the fact that the only ones condemned by some position related to the attacks of 2023 have been Christians. The Rocky brothers and Raja Masih were accused of blasphemy against the Quran – which unleashed the persecution that year – but were subsequently acquitted.
Pakistan is home to around 4 million Christians. This represents only 1.6% of the country’s total population, estimated at 241 million and is predominantly Muslim. From 1987 to the beginning of 2021, More than 1,800 people had been charged with blasphemy against Islam.
Andrés Henríquez
I was born in Caracas in 1996. I am a writer for ACI Press and correspondent of EWTN since 2023. Since then, I cover events of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, Latin America and the world. I have more than 6 years of experience in bilingual media. In addition, in Venezuela I have worked from various fields for freedom and respect for fundamental rights in the country. I am a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.