PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS AT

RISK:
CALL FOR A STRATEGIC
RESPONSE
What are we facing?
 RISKS
 LIFE & LIMB
 PROPERTIES

 LIVELIHOODS

 HONOUR AND RESPECT

 OPPORTUNITIES

 SOCIAL FREEDOM

 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

 ACCESS TO RESOURCES
Why are we facing RISKS?
 RISKS ARE THE EFFECTS
 REASONS
 RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES
 ETHNIC DIFFERENCES

 SOCIAL DIFFERENCES

 PROFESSIONAL CAUSES

 ARE THE REASONS REALLY THE CAUSES?

 WHAT ARE THE REAL CAUSES?
Causes and Effects
 REAL CAUSES
 VIOLENT DISPOSITION
 ‘OPPRESS-AND-PLUNDER’ MENTALITY

 DIFFERENCES ARE ONLY PROXY OR FRONT-END

CAUSES
HATRED, INTOLERANCE AND LUST
 VIOLENCE IS ONLY AN EXPRESSION OF……
 RESULTS: ETHNIC CLEANSING, CULLING…….
WHAT ARE WE FACING?
 REAL RISK
WHAT ARE WE DEALING
WITH?
 MADNESS
 Severe mental, psychological, social REPULSION
 Enacted out as VIOLENCE

 VIRULENCE
 Spreads rapidly without respect to prior educational and
social maturity
 Generates COMPULSIVE MOB MENTALITY

 EPIDEMIC
 Spreading and being nurtured with pride
What to do?
 STRATEGIC RESPONSE
 IMMEDIATE
 RELIEF
PROVIDED FOR THE AFFECTED: 3-4
MONTHS
 MEDIUM TERM
 CRISES RESPONSE CAPACITY FOR RELIEF FOR
SIMILAR EVENTS
 MOUNTING COUNTER-RESPONSE
 LONG TERM
 PREVENTING SIMILAR EVENTS
 ADVOCACY WITH GOVERNMENT &
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
How to do it?
 1 COORDINATION COUNCIL
 3 TASK FORCES
 TF FOR GOJRA RELIEF COORDINATION
 TF OR CRISIS RESPONSE
 TF FOR ADVOCACY AND NEGOTIATION

 DESIGN AND DECIDE

 TERMS AND DELIVERABLES FOR EACH COUNCIL &
TF
 MERIT-BASED COMPOSITION
 PLAN
 IMPLEMENT
Proposed Mandate
 Repeal of Blasphemy Law
 Appeals for Christians in Prisons to be bailed out
and cases fought
 Monitoring of Judicial Inquiry by High Court Judge
and if not right condemnation to be launched
 Media release addressed to President, PM, Chief
Justice
 Pursue cases in courts – criminals to be punished
 Negotiate with Police/law enforcing agencies
DISCUSSION AND
PROPOSALS
 Can an average Christian raise all these issues?
 Understand our community’s situation and
context?
 Why these causes persist? Deal with causes in
our own Community!
 Put our house in order first: create UNITY among
churches and Christians
 Education is the prime focus for the long term
 Someone has to lead this response – we have to
select now
DISCUSSION AND
PROPOSALS
 Churches’ Unity is mandatory
 Reconciliation and forgiveness after violence
is no solution
 FIR: PPC 16 MPO and Terrorism
 Talibanization process will not stop; only
method has been altered – proper warfare
using chemicals – organized and planned
attacks
 Law enforcing agencies/police involved and
supports
DISCUSSION AND
PROPOSALS
 Various factions and organizations join forces
to kill and loot us
 FIR lodging met with resistance
 Mainstream political party politics should be
left behind in Community’s favour
 (Christian) People’s action addressed the
crises
 Catholic Church’s role commendable
DISCUSSION AND
PROPOSALS
 NOW resistance needs to be launched by
Christian Community
 Strong action is needed
 No seriousness in Pakistan political leadership on
Christian Community’s issues
 Protest is still needed even if Govt is responding
 Relationship with majority community is important
 DISCUSSION AND
PROPOSALS
 A Document needs to be developed and
circulated with signatures of all Church heads to
Government and Supreme Court for Christian
Minority Community
 Use of Force to counter Force will not solve the
problem
 Actions need to be taken to bring Christian and
majority communities
 Political leadership needs to be developed in
Christians
 DISCUSSION AND
PROPOSALS
 As Christian Community we need to
identify our strengths and use them
 Profession-based associations of
Christian professionals
 Concentrate on those things that unite
us than what divides us – common
platform and strategy
 The root of all these issues is 295 C and
B
DISCUSSION AND
PROPOSALS
 Support types needed: moral, healing, clothing, food
and solidarity
 Clash will not yield anything and wise steps need to
be taken instead of emotional reactions
 Long term: education and personality shaping
 A big problem is that cases are reported v late – no PR
department of any church body – media cannot quote
any source
 Protest of Christians can lead to more discrimination