Pakistan to blame for persecuting Christians

Activist groups in Pakistan have strongly condemned the police crackdown on civilians, especially from Christian community. Reports released on October 8, stated that Christians in Pakistan were in dire straits due to the treatment, including physical torture, they faced from the Pakistani Police.

In a recent incident, police raided house of Younis Masih, a Christian, on false allegations of drug trafficking. Despite the lack of evidence and no previous criminal record, the police tortured Younis and his sons. Unable to bear the torture of his sons and their subsequent arrest, Younis Masih died the same night due to heart attack;

Earlier, police had searched the house and made false allegations to intimidate Younis’ son Waqar to give evidence against Shahzaib Jatt, who was being investigated for the murder of his nephew. Police also tried to force the sons of Masih to accept their involvement in drug business. After news of Younis’ death reached the police station, the two were released.

Social media is also flooded with human rights violations in Sind reporting the following:
On August 12, two Jeay Sind Quomi Movement (JSQM) members Asghar Brohi and Sardar Malano were abducted from Karachi by law enforcement agencies. Later, the agencies raided home of another JSQM political activist, Badal Brohi Vice President of District Nawabshah, while he was away and abducted his younger brother.

In a separate incident on August 16, Javed Mangrio, a political activist linked to the Jeay Sindh Traders Forum (JSTF) was abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies.

A political activist Bashir Jafar was abducted on August 16 by Pak intelligence.

Earlier, two individuals Bashir Sha and G Rasool linked to the JSTF were abducted by a Pakistani intelligence official Jamil Thahmeem from Badhan and intelligence agencies also arrested Abu Bakar Khoso, Dost Mohd and Abdul Rehman from Kandhkot; Farhan Gadehi from Karachi; and a political activist Lala Imran Sindhi from Mirpur Khas.

Taj Joyo, a well-known Sindhi writer, who was nominated for the Pak President’s ‘Pride of Performance’ award this year refused to accept the award due to non-redressal of “fundamental issues” like forced disappearances in Sind, exploitation of natural resources of the province and denial of national language status for Sindi language;

Taj Joyo was also concerned about the recent disappearance of her son, Sarang Joyo, a Research Associate at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Science and Technology Institute. Sarang disappeared immediately after he left his home in Akhtar Colony, Karachi, on the night between August 10 and 11. His family believes that Sarang was taken by security personnel;

Photos posted on social media after Sarang’s return showed signs of torture on his body. In a subsequent media interaction, Taj confirmed that his son was released only after the intervention of the Senate Committee; and

In another rejection of the national award, Veerta Ali Ujan, daughter of Fahmida Riaz refused to accept the President’s Award (posthumously) on behalf of her mother. Veerta was protesting the abduction and torture of journalists in Sind. Ujan posted on her Facebook, that accepting an award from the government on; behalf of Fahmida Riaz would be an insult to the fight for “justice and equality”. Fahmida Riaz, who died in November 2018, was a prominent journalist and poet.