Posted on 12/31/2002 6:56:10 AM PST by knighthawk
Pakistani Christians are living in fear and their situation is made worse by a government that is pandering to religious radicals and releasing terrorists from prison, a Christian leader said Tuesday.
Shahbaz Bhatti, chairman of the All Pakistan Minority Alliance, said the government elected in October-- which includes many Islamic conservatives-- has "failed to protect the life and property of Christians in Pakistan."
"The government has released the leaders and masterminds of banned terrorist organizations, who are involved in waging a holy war against non-Muslims. This is the reason that terrorists are reorganizing and regrouping themselves in Pakistan," Bhatti said in a statement.
Since a Christmas Day grenade attack on a tiny Protestant church in eastern Punjab province that killed three people, Christians in this mostly Muslim nation have been demanding the government move against Islamic radicals.
Four people have been detained for the attack in Chianwala, including an Islamic cleric who urged his congregation to kill Christians and is linked to the outlawed organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Yet within days of the attack, the police in Pakistan released Maulvi Masood Azhar, the terrorists leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed, from house arrest because of a court order. Azhar, who quickly disappeared, was close to Afghanistan's deposed Taliban as well as the Al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan.
Christians are outraged, said Bhatti. We will not keep silent, nor allow terrorists to butcher our innocent Christians. We will protest at all levels," he said promising demonstrations will be organized and peaceful. Bhatti said New Year's prayer services will be held throughout Pakistan to mourn the three young girls killed Christmas Day and to pray for a peaceful new year.
"We will celebrate this New Year with simplicity by holding special prayers . . . for the victims of Church attacks, for an end to terrorism in Pakistan and for the peace, solidarity and progress of the country," he said.
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