Defending Persecuted Christians in Pakistan in 2014
The Organization for Legal Aid (OLA), ECLJ’s affiliate in Pakistan, was created to provide legal assistance to the persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan. In the last five years, the OLA has represented clients in a variety of matters, including blasphemy, murder, torture, rape and trafficking, bonded labor, and illegal occupation of Christian churches and cemeteries. Although faced by a corrupt legal system and a religiously biased society, our team in Pakistan has been able to successfully obtain positive outcomes in many cases. Below, are some highlights of our work during 2014.
In a recent case, Zanobia Mary, a Christian teacher, was falsely accused by her superiors of teaching the Bible to Muslim students. The principal of the school, who had resented Mary due to her Christian religion, suspended her. Through the timely intervention of our team, Mary was reinstated to her position as teacher by the High Court. However, the legal battle and religiously motivated threats against Mary are not over yet.
The OLA is also seeking justice for Nazia Bibi, a victim of attempted rape by Niamat Ali, an influential Muslim landlord of Nazia’s village. The police refused to register a criminal case against Ali. Lack of police intervention is common in Pakistan due to the high level of corruption prevalent in the country. Our attorneys filed a petition for registration of the case at a Sessions Court. Subsequently, the court ordered the police to register a formal case against Ali. Nonetheless, the investigation officers declared Ali innocent in their report. The OLA has now petitioned the court to bring Ali to trial.
Rape incidents are all too common in Pakistan – even involving young children. Our attorneys are representing a seven-year-old Christian girl, Saira Iqbal, against her Muslim neighbor, Fakhar Alam, who kidnapped and raped her. Two influential landlords of the village, Ahmed Yaar and Zulfiqar Ali, have been pressuring the family not to pursue the case. Our attorneys on the ground have moved the court to take legal action against Yaar and Ali. Currently, we are awaiting the trial and are hopeful that all three defendants will be brought to justice.
In a case of religiously motivated violence, a Christian family in rural Pakistan was attacked by their Muslim neighbors over a minor dispute. Two members of the Christian family, Zaman Masih and Naveed Masih received severe injuries, including gunshot wounds. Due to our intervention, the attackers were arrested and their bails were denied. We are awaiting the trial.
In a similar case, the OLA is representing Saleem Masih, a Christian farmhand, who was beaten by his Muslim landlord’s sons for taking two days off for Easter this year. Through a petition filed by our attorneys, the court directed the police to register the case. After the court ordered the police to register the case, the defendants repeatedly visited Masih and forced him to settle the case. The police have yet to carry out the court’s orders.
Pressuring victims to not pursue legal action is also common in Pakistan. Most victims of religious persecution are poor and, hence, cannot afford to fight legal battles. Moreover, many victims do not even know their rights under the law. The persecution, however, does not end there and is not limited to physical violence. Often times, Christian properties are illegally occupied by influential Muslims.
For instance, the OLA is representing the United Presbyterian (U.P.) Church in the city of Pasroor. The Muslim landlords of the village forcibly encroached upon part of the church land and annexed it with their house. The church filed a suit for permanent injunction in Pasroor Civil Court. The court issued an order in the church’s favor. The defendants, however, filed an appeal against this order. The court accepted the appeal and remanded to the trial court. The OLA is currently awaiting for the court to set the date for trial.
Our team is also representing Ishaque Masih and three other Christians from Lahore who are struggling to save the graveyard where their forefathers are buried. The Muslim landlords, whose farm is adjacent to the graveyard, have encroached upon the graveyard land.
In another case of illegal occupation of a Christian graveyard, our team is representing the local Christians of Kasur. Illegally encroaching upon Christian cemeteries and churches is common in Pakistan. Because these Christian communities are poor, they cannot afford to pursue long legal cases against influential Muslims. This is where the OLA’s work becomes crucial. With passionate and adequate legal representation, the Christian communities can face the giants who persecute these innocent people on a daily basis.
Discussed above are only a few examples of our work in Pakistan. Overall, in 2014, our team had been engaged in at least 70 instances of religious persecution in which legal help was provided. In addition to taking up cases for legal representation, our team also conducts fact-finding visits. Such investigations are an integral part of OLA’s work. Before taking up a case, our staff conducts a fact-finding visit to gather facts, meets with the victims and/or their families, and visits police stations or prisons to analyze each case. In 2014, our team performed more than 50 fact-finding missions.
In 2015, the OLA staff is committed to continue and expand its work and reach out to more people and stand with them. To perform its work, the staff needs prayers for wisdom, protection, and success.
*Shaheryar Gill serves as Associate Counsel with the ECLJ and oversees ECLJ’s work in Pakistan.