Pakistan: Church council grieves over deaths, wants blasphemy law revised

Barely a month after irate Muslim mobs went on a rampage attacking 100 Christian homes in Pakistan's Kasur district, fresh violence has erupted killing nine Christians and charring of 50 houses and two churches in Gojra village in central Punjab province.

The National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) confirmed with Christian Today that "seven Christians were burnt alive and two were shot dead by Muslim extremists over alleged desecration of the Koran on Saturday."

In the gruesome incident, dozens have been reported injured and the mob bearing firearms and explosives set fire to Christian homes burning alive few. The seething mob shockingly had also blocked the main roads to the village to shut off the fire brigades.

Expressing his anguish, general secretary of the NCCP, Victor Azariah, lambasted the Muslim extremists who acted in a frenzy of rage over phony blasphemy charges. He was grieved that women and children were also victims of the onslaught.

However, the representative of the NCCP, which is a unifying body of the Protestant and Anglican churches in Pakistan, was pleased by the speedy response of the government.

"I really appreciate the fact that the govt authorities flung into action by sending its federal ministers who had the predicament under control," he said, adding "a compensation of Rs.500,000 for the families of the each of those killed in the violence have been announced."

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has also strongly condemned the violence and dispatched a contingent of police to ensure the protection of people's life and property. Zardari has directed the minority affairs minister to remain in Gojra until situation turns normal.

The National Council of Churches will today organise a meeting of church leaders to put forth their demands to the Pakistani government.

Mr Azariah enumerated the demands to Christian Today: "One of our demand from the federal government is to reconsider the blasphemy law which illegally subjugates Christians and also fosters injustice and violence. Many have been harassed, threatened and arrested on such charges which on most cases is spurious."

The second demand is that "those Christians who have been arrested on this law be released. They should not be allowed to suffer this extent that they are even denied bail." Those accused under blasphemy laws are denied bail and held in custody until trial. The accused is punishable by death in such cases.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Minorities Shahnaz Bhatti also concurs that the blasphemy laws are being "widely misused to victimise minorities and innocent people of Pakistan."

He pointed that the preliminary investigation showed there was no desecration of the Koran and said the accusation were baseless. He was desolate that blasphemy laws were being used to harass the microscopic Christian community.

Christians make up less than three percent of Pakistan's population of 150 million.

Meanwhile, members of the Christian community blocked a rail link at Gojra and placed on the track the coffins of victims killed in the violence. Protests have been carried out and Christian schools and colleges went on strike on Monday.

An official of the Catholic Board of Education that controls about 62 schools in Karachi announced that schools would be closed for three days from today, according to the AFP.

The incident has come close on the heels of another attack last month when about 600 people attacked 100 Christian homes in Kasur district, Punjab province. They burned the houses, looted valuables and injured many on blasphemy charge.