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Garma
Garam More |
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January 13, 2001 Chief
Executive H.E. Pervaiz Musharaf Dear Chief Executive of Pakistan: It was a shock to know that 17 persons from the minority groups of Pakistan, including Fr. Arnold Heridia and two other Christians, were beaten and put to jail for holding a peaceful procession in Karachi on the 10th of January. Fr. Arnold Heridia is the former Executive Secretary of the Committee for Justice and Peace. They were expressing their views against the blasphemy laws of Pakistan. The blasphemy laws were passed undemocratically by Zia, a military dictator, to protect the majority of Pakistan. Since then, these laws have been used to terrorize the minorities of Pakistan, particularly Christians. Under these laws, children have been condemned to death and young girls have been raped and forced to marry their abductors. Minorities are being forced to leave the country. Bishop John Joseph committed suicide in 1998 to protest against these unjust laws. The Christians of Pakistan who are the main targets of these laws also voted for the creation of Pakistan in 1947. They sacrificed their lives to protect the honor of Pakistan in every war. They have opened schools, hospitals and orphanages for the citizens. Moreover they are the real inhabitants of the country because several other citizens came and settled from abroad. Christians are 3% of the population; 97% are Muslims. There was no need to frame these laws against a 3% minority. Citizens have every right to express their views peacefully against any unjust move of the government. These 17 detainees were exercising their rights. They must be released at once and their lives should be protected by the government. The National Commission for Justice & Peace of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan says that the "act of the administration is gruesome and their action unjustified because the procession was totally peaceful and exercised their constitutional rights of expression." Above all, these divisive, dangerous and repressive laws of blasphemy, introduced undemocratically to terrorize the minorities legally, should be abolished, Cordially yours, Stephen
Gill,Dr.,Emails: sgill@ican.net & stefgill@hotmail.com
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