PAKISTAN: Two years on, justice still not done
Exactly two years on from an atrocity described as the worst outbreak of violence against Christians in Pakistan’s 78-year history, the local bishop has said not one of the thousands of suspects has been brought to justice – and that he and his people are furious.
Bishop Indrias Rehmat said Christians in the Punjab’s Jaranwala district, want to “shout and scream” in outrage at the apparent failure to deliver justice following the 16th August 2023 violence with damage done to 26 churches, 80 Christian homes, church halls, priests’ houses and even Christian gravestones.
His comments come two months after Faisalabad’s Anti-Terrorism Court acquitted all 10 people accused of burning one of the churches.
Of the 5,213 people accused in connection with the atrocity, more than 380 people were arrested, of whom many were released on bail but as yet there have been no convictions.
In an interview yesterday (14th August) with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which supports persecuted Christians, Bishop Rehmat, who heads the Diocese of Faisalabad, said: “Justice has not been done. The police have not done their duty.
“Nobody has been punished and nobody has been dealt with properly. At this stage, we do not see any hope of any culprit being punished.”
He said the people had received physical threats and harassment from local extremists for daring to call for justice but had now become so enraged that they are determined to speak out.
The bishop said: “What’s changed over the last two years since the attacks is that people have now become ready to fight for their rights. They say we should shout and scream.”
He said the people were further angered that the only people sentenced in connection with the atrocity were Christians.
These include brothers Rocky and Raja Masih – accused and later acquitted of blasphemy, an act of desecration of the Qur’an, which triggered the violence – and Ehsan Masih (no relation), found guilty of spreading an image of the damaged text on social media.
In April, Christian man Pervaiz Masih (also no relation) was sentenced to death for allegedly carrying out the act of blasphemy and implicating Raja as a vendetta.
Casting doubt on the convictions, Father Khalid Rashid Asi, Director of the Faisalabad Diocesan branch of the National (Catholic) Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), an advocacy organisation, told ACN: “There are individuals in the area telling our people not to come to the courts and our people are afraid because the Muslim terrorists and fundamentalists are very strong. The threats are there.
“But our people are very angry. After two years, they are still waiting for justice. The Muslims accused have not been given sentences. The rest are freed on bail.”
Fr Rashid went on to criticise the government’s compensation package for victims, saying that although most of the buildings damaged in the violence had been rebuilt, in a number of cases the repairs were sub-standard.
Tension and dismay among the Christian community has peaked this week after a Muslim cleric made anti-Christian comments in a speech denouncing the controversial demolition of a mosque in Islamabad, the Pakistan capital.
In the speech, which went viral on social media, the cleric described churches as “heaps of filth”.
In response, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan issued a statement describing his remarks as “offensive” and “deeply derogatory” to Christians.
In his ACN interview, Bishop Rehmat stressed “reasons for hope”, thanking ACN for providing emergency relief for Jaranwala victims including food parcels and household items and repair of buildings.
He said: “I am very grateful that ACN is willing to stand with our people whenever there is a need. Your moral support, your prayers and sacrifices are tremendous. ACN is a great support for us.”
Bishop Rehmat said tomorrow (Saturday, 16th August) on the anniversary of the atrocity he would preside at the blessing and rededication of St John’s Catholic Church, Jaranwala, badly damaged in the atrocity. The nearby presbytery has still to be rebuilt.