Pakistan encouraged to abandon blasphemy laws

BY ED WEST
CHRISTIANS have called on the new Pakistani government to repeal the country's notorious blasphemy laws, 10 years after a Catholic bishop killed himself in protest at religious persecution.
On May 6, 1998 Bishop John Joseph, Bishop of Faisalabad, shot himself in front of the court building in the town of Sahiwal, as an act of protest after a Christian Ayub Masih, was sentenced to death for blasphemy.
Last month Pakistan finally signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in what the country's Foreign Office said was a reflection of renewed commitment to promote human rights in accordance with internationally recognised legal standards.
But the UK-based human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide says the country's blasphemy taws, introduced nearly 30 years ago by dictator Zia ul-Haq, are in direct violation of the ICCPR, in particular the provisions for freedom of religion and of expression in Articles 18 and 19.
hi an interview with Vatican Radio CSW national director Stuart Windsor said: "Under Pakistan penal code 295C which deals with blasphemy against the Muslim prophet Mohammed some 892 people have been punished over the last 22 years, many of them Muslims as well as Christians, and 22 to 25 have been killed arbitrarily."
In 1982 the desecration of the Koran was made a specific offence, and in 1986 blasphemy was made punishable by death or life imprisonment.
Mr Windsor added: "The state has actually executed none, but once a person faces a blasphemy charge then their life is over in terms of what they face if they're released from prison and released from the charges. Blasphemy prisoners, even if acquitted, are often targeted by extremists and forced into hiding."
CSW claims that the blasphemy laws do not provide an adequate definition of the offence, require only the statement of one witness, and are regularly used by extremists to target religious minorities and personal enemies. The organisation says the vast majority of cases are fabricated for personal reasons.
CSW is urging the Pakistani government to repeal the blasphemy laws and to also defend and implement the right to religious freedom in the country.
Mr Windsor said: "Ten yea's on nothing has changed in Pakistani-he new government of Pakistan, elected on a moderate, progressive platform and with a strong mandate, has pledged to make fighting extremism its priority.
"The first step towards creating a climate of religious tolerance and harmony would be to dismantle the unjust blasphemy laws. It would be a fitting way to mark the tenth
anniversary of Bishop John Joseph, who decided to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to draw the attention of the world to this injustice."
Mr Windsor added: "It'll be interesting to see why Pakistan has signed the ICCPR now: it may be because of the new government and new MPs and new minorities in Parliament.
"We face a long-term process on this issue and its not going to happen overnight; it's going to demand a lot of international pressure on the government and on the president, and also dialogue with the extremists.
"It's really a mountain that we face it took us eight years of hard work and lobbying and pressure to get Pakistan to change their election system so that Muslims could vote for Christians and Christians could vote for Muslims, so this is going to be a long haul. But we want to pray and we want governments in the West and democratic governments around the world to put pressure on Pakistan to repeal these laws because both Muslims and Christians are suffering under them."
Retired Ooup Captain Cecil Chaudhry, a prominent human rights campaigner in Pakistan and a close friend of Bishop John Joseph, said: "The Bishop's mission was to make Pakistan into a country where every citizen, without bias to caste, colour or creed, enjoys equal rights, in accordance with the wishes of its founder, Mohammed All Jinnah. "