Pakistan: Greater Risk for Christians Under State of Emergency
Nov 13 2007
Postings >> Pakistan

Pakistan's beleaguered Christians will be at even greater risk of attack under a state of emergency, RI's
partners warn.

General Pervez Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule and suspend the constitution on November 3 was, he said, an attempt to crack down on extremism.

But the decision has been widely condemned at home and abroad as a move that may deepen the political crisis. The Supreme Court, due to rule on the legality of Musharraf's October election victory, was surrounded by troops and private media taken off the air. At least 40 members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan were arrested.

Lawyers from the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), an RI partner based in Lahore, say that emergency rule and the suspension of constitutional rights will only make long-suffering religious minorities, including Christians, even more vulnerable.

Meanwhile, the misery for Pakistan's Christians continues. The 70-odd Christian families in the Swat valley of North West Frontier Province are a case in point. New reports say they are now being forced to conform to Sharia law and wear Islamic dress, just to avoid standing out from the Muslim majority.

Sharia is being imposed in the valley by militants angry at the government crackdown on Islamabad's Red Mosque in July. The militants, who are engaged in bloody clashes with government troops, have backed up verbal threats with bombings and beheadings. The church-run Public High School in Sangota, where staff and pupils have received death threats (7x7, October 16, 2007), has been forced to close amid the violence.

• Echo CLAAS' prayer for Pakistan: 'Please pray for us, so that our Lord God may give us strength to face harsh realities (...) and may we succeed in achieving our goal of democracy, freedom and peace.'
• Ask God to strength the faith of the Christians of Swat valley and grant them His peace.