Pakistan is predominantly a Muslim country with 97 percent of its population adhering to Islam and the religious minorities making just a fraction of the population with varying estimates at a few percent of the total population. The Constitution of country has guaranteed full rights and protection to all its citizens. The founder of the country, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, apparently promised freedom for other religious minorities in his address to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, and Christians along with other religious minorities agreed to and believed in his promise. However, unfortunately, these safeguards did not come true and Pakistan is now not known as a responsible democracy. Recently, many banned organisations have been openly speaking against rival sects and other religions, and this has resulted in the killings of many innocent people from religious minorities. Pakistan has been facing a growing hatemongering problem and most of it this comes from within the urban/semi-urban centres. Though Article 20 of the Constitution deals with the “freedom to profess religion and to manage religious institutions” and Article 36 is about the protection of minorities and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of minorities, the reality is that unfortunately things have only gotten worse in the last six decades because of the growing violence against religious minorities in Pakistan.
Based on 10 incidents that took place in only one month (October 2015) only in Punjab, the United States Commission on International Freedom (USCIRF) urged the US State Department to list Pakistan among nine other nations as “countries of particular concern” (CPC), a designation for those nations considered to be the worst violators of religious freedoms. These include governments that “engage in or tolerate” systematic ongoing, and unspeakable violations of religious freedom.
In recent years, attacks against religious minorities have increased. Though Pakistan’s persecution of Christians may not be anything comparable to the kind we see perpetuated by the likes of Islamic State (IS) it is still quite horrific. The suffering of minorities in the country have been worsened by a sense of deprivation among the locals and an inclusive political system is unable to achieve sustainable peace and stability. Thus, many Christian families and Hindus have fled to other countries seeking protection and the rights needed to live like other human beings. But it is very unfortunate that Pakistani Christians are not being welcomed in Europe like it welcomed millions of Muslims.
Samina, a Christian woman who fled violence-ridden Karachi and sought refuge in Thailand, died on Christmas Eve after she was arrested when her visa expired. She was arrested as part of an ongoing wave of arrests of foreigners deemed to have overstayed their visa and was detained in horrific conditions. Most Pakistani Christian asylum seekers have been given that status by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) but because Thailand refuses to sign the relevant Refugee Protocols that most other nations have, it does not recognise that status and treats such Pakistani Christians as illegal immigrants. Therefore, thousands of Pakistani Christians are either living in prisons or hiding in places and if found are badly treated.
While writing this story, another man, Bashir Masih, reportedly died there. Sources confirmed that there are more than 200 people still in lock ups in Thailand. And many more are living miserable lives in hidden places fearing arrest at any time. Australia, Canada and many European countries have been granting immigration visas to thousands of Pakistanis and Afghans in recent years. However, Christians’ visa applications were turned down in the thousands last year. In fact, these applications are rejected without citing any convincing reasons, many of them on frivolous grounds that surprisingly cannot be challenged on any forum. Will the situation remain the same for Pakistani Christians as it continues to get worse here?
The writer is a freelance columnist