Daily Times

Pakistan came into being in 1947 under the leadership of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Jinnah had repeatedly promised equality of citizenship but this promise was not kept by his successors. Pakistan became an Islamic Republic in 1956, making Islam the source of legislation and cornerstone of the national identity, while guaranteeing freedom of religion and equal citizenship to all citizens. With the governments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Ziaul Haq more inflexibly Islamic laws transformed Pakistan.

During the regime of these two rulers, the Christians of the country were made divergent. This is evident in the cities established by the British, such as the port city of Karachi where the majestic St Patrick’s Cathedral, Pakistan’s largest church, stands, and the churches in the city of Rawalpindi where the British established a major military cantonment. European and wealthy native Christians established colleges, churches, hospitals and schools in cities like Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. Roman Catholics and other protestant denominations have organised themselves throughout the country. Politically, groups like the Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC) have arisen. Christians had the second largest educational and healthcare chains in the country. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto nationalised the Christians’ health and educational institutions.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto introduced discriminatory laws against religious minorities. He declared Ahmedis to be non-Muslims, opening new doors to constitutional discrimination. Non-Muslims are barred from becoming the president or prime minister. Furthermore, they are barred from being judges in the Federal Shariat Court, which has the power to strike down any law deemed un-Islamic. The Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court (SC), chief of army staff, chief minister and governorship are not mentioned in the constitution but these posts are have an invisible restriction. Several hundred Christians, along with Muslims themselves, have been persecuted under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, and death sentences have been handed out to at least a dozen. Forced conversion is still going and the blasphemy law is widely used for vested interests. Misuse of the blasphemy laws has become common practice. Churches and Christian housing colonies are attacked and set ablaze. Pakistan has become a state of perpetual fear for minorities.

With the start of a new era, ex-president Pervez Musharraf introduced a new electoral system for the minorities. This opened new doors to corruption and affluent members from the minorities become parliamentarians. Minorities are divided into two groups: some are in favour of the present electoral system and others are struggling to restore the democratic electoral system for minorities. Muslim political parties have introduced ‘minorities wings’ and thus they have created division. This selected segment follows the same agenda as their mother party. This clearly means they are not representing their community but only their party.

Most of the Christians in the country live below the poverty line. They mostly live in slums known as katchi abadis, often euphemistically called colonies, which are tucked into the corners of the big cities in a neat grid pattern. They house tens of thousands of people unable to afford the city’s high rents, in flimsy dwellings put up with concrete, bricks and sacking. Some are located on drainage cuts designed to channel away the heavy rains of the monsoon, and many have no access to electricity, gas or main water supplies. These poor people cannot afford tuition fees, so their children remain uneducated. Ironically, Christian institutions, instead of paying attention to deserving students, expel them from their institutions. According to the data given by social activists, in Rawalpindi district alone, more than 30 students were expelled this year due to non-payment of tuition fee. And yet Christian organisations still claim that they are serving poor Christians. Sources say that some Korean organisation was interested in establishing an institution to educate Christian students but, due to the self-centredness of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance’s (APMA’s) leadership, they rolled back their plan. This attitude shows their commitment towards Christians’ betterment. It has been observed during the last decade that every third self-proclaimed chairman with some financial background has started a ‘Facebook political party’. Honestly speaking, they should contribute to community development instead of self-projection.

Since Christians are being persecuted under severe conditions, all the prominent Christian leadership should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. Each and every person in charge of these parties should take the responsibility to teach at least one Christian student for a better future generation. Educational institutions with a religious background should take in deserving students.

The writer can be reached at shamimpakistan@gmail.com