A Christian man attacked in Pakistan on May 25 died in hospital on Monday, prompting a leading bishop to call for greater protection for religious minorities in the Muslim country.
According to local observers, hundreds of Muslims took part in riots in Sargodha, Punjab province, Pakistan, in May that began with an accusation that Christians had desecrated the Quran, the Islamic holy book, and escalated into an attack that burned down his shoe factory.
The dead man was Nazir Gil Masih, a Christian in his 70s from Sargodha.
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Bishop Samson Shukardin, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, said Christians, who make up just under 2 percent of Pakistan’s population of 236 million, will never feel safe in their country unless laws are enacted making it a crime to fabricate blasphemy allegations.
“It is very important that laws are introduced that will impose penalties, including prison time, on anyone who falsely accuses someone of blasphemy,” the bishop told the Catholic charity Church’s Aid to the Needy (ACN).
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are among the world’s most controversial, with critics saying they are often used to harass and intimidate religious minorities. One oft-cited example is that of Asia Bibi, an illiterate Catholic woman who was charged with blasphemy in 2010, spent almost a decade on death row, and was eventually forced to seek refuge in Canada.
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Shkardin said the government’s inaction was emboldening those who would weaponise the controversial law against innocent minorities.
A series of violent incidents against Christians took place in the Jaranwala district of Punjab in August last year, but no attackers were convicted.
Hundreds of Muslims rioted over allegations that a Christian man and his friends had desecrated the Quran, and Christians who fled their homes to escape attackers later returned to find their homes and businesses destroyed.
“After Jaranwala nothing has happened to bring justice. It is a disaster. It is not good for minorities,” the bishop said.
“Unless the government gets serious and enacts laws to protect minorities, especially Christians, who are the major minority in Punjab, the situation regarding the misuse of blasphemy laws will only get worse,” he added.
“We are not asking for anything against the country of Pakistan. We only want our lives and those of our families to be protected,” he said.
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“We need to bring justice and security to ethnic minorities and all those who are mistreated for reasons that go against their religion and human dignity,” Shkardin said.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2023 report noted that the situation of religious freedom in Pakistan has continued to deteriorate since last year.
“Religious minorities face frequent attacks and intimidation, including blasphemy charges, targeted killings, lynchings, mob violence, forced conversions, sexual violence against women and girls, and the desecration of their places of worship and graveyards,” the U.S. committee said.
Shkardin agreed that persecution is getting worse.
“There are major incidents like the one in Jaranwala in August and the one in Sargodha at the end of May, but there are also many other smaller incidents. This is a worrying situation,” the bishop told ACN.
“In general, when you look at how many incidents have occurred, you start to realize that these incidents are increasing day by day,” he added.
He said only foreign pressure could make Pakistan act.
“We need foreign pressure on the government,” the Pakistani bishop said.
