Christians protest Church occupation and demolition

Written by: Jawad Mazhar (ROD)

Lahore, Pakistan, Dec 25^th (ROD): Scores of Christians massed before Governor House Punjab and protested against the unlawful occupation and demolition of ‘Church of Christ’ near Gaddafi Cricket Stadium, Feroze Pur Road, Lahore by very powerful and influential Muslim land mafia, on Dec 24^th.

The protest was lead by Secretary General of Lahore Church Council Mushtaq Sajeel Bhatti, Secretary General All Pakistan Minorities Rights Action Committee (APMRAC) Younas Sheraz, Mr Patras Ghani (Pakistan Christian National Party).

Talking to ROD Mr Patras Ghani told that this land mafia consists men of power and influence like Monis Elahi son of Pervez Elahi , who presently Chief Minster of Punjab and running the forthcoming general elections and hopeful to form the next government in Pakistan and his booming accomplices Sheikh Hafeez, Arshad Manzoor (Advocate) and Hajji Iqbal.

Ghani said that on Dec 12^th, a case has been launched against the church land grabbers at Garden Town Police Station under article 380 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), for unlawfully and forcibly occupying the Church Premises. Ghani went on saying that between the night of Dec 15^th and Dec 16^th Muslim Land Mafia struck and demolished the church completely and started to construct their, own building. Patras Ghani lamented that the land grabbers have wiped out the church completely from the face of the earth.

Patras Ghani added that another application has been submitted at Garden Town Police Station stating the present condition of the Church and it’s demolition by the same land Mafia. Ghani said land grabbers should be brought to the books for this heinous act under article 295-A PPC for desecrating the church, cross and Holy Bible and Article 7 of Anti Terrorism Act.

During the protest, Christian protesters chanted slogans against the Muslim land Mafia and Government for not taking the immediate notice of this sacrilege act of occupation and demolition of the church. While the protest of on full swing Patras Ghani was called in to the Governor House and assured of Justice.

While Superintendent of Police (SP) Model Town Muhammad Amir has taken the action under article 145 of Law & Order, and taken the church premises under police custody until the show down is simmered down between the Christians and Muslim Land Grabber Mafia and court announces the decision.

Muslim man & his family receive life threats after embracing Christianity.

Muslim man & his family receive life threats after embracing Christianity.

Written by: Jawad Mazhar (Special Correspondent for BosNewsLife in Pakistan)

Sargodha, Pakistan, Dec 18^th, (BosNewsLife): Formerly known as Salhey Muhammad, who renamed himself Salhey Luca and his wife Saleen Joseph, now known as Tasneem John and their family comprising of four daughters namely Sabahat Iqra 14, Sanobar Maria 11, Sarcilla Iffat 10 and Sabeqa Ulffat 7 and their only son Zephaniah Anjum 5, are living under grave danger and receiving life threats by Luca’s Muslim siblings in a predominantly Muslim country after accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior.

Talking to BosNewsLife via telephone from an undisclosed location Luca’s wife Tasneem John said that she belongs to a Christian family of Liaqat Abad, Maria Khayel Mianwali. She said that she married a Muslim man Salhey Muhammad of Chakwal in 1992.

She added that after FIVE (05) years of their marriage her Muslim husband abandoned Islam and embraced Christianity in March 1997.

Salhey Luca said that he belongs to very conservative Islamic religious family widely known as ‘Qutab Shahi Awan’. He maintained that after his conversion to Christianity his family members including his two sisters and his only brother, now deceased, turned against him and his family. Luca added that his sisters are compelling him to divorce his Christian wife Tasneem John and recant Christianity. Otherwise they are threatening to kill his wife and Children. Moreover they are also trying to illegally occupy the inherited part of cultivated land. Concerned and trembling Luca went on saying that his Muslim sisters threaten him to convert to Islam again or face the music.

Luca’s wife Tasneem John told BosNewsLife that her Muslim in-laws have twice tried to kidnap her daughters from the girls’ hostel where they live and study. She said that on Sept 11, 2007 her Muslim in-laws and a Muslim Security Guard of the Girls Hostel recognized as Sajjid Hussein kidnapped her eldest daughter Sabahat Iqra from her hostel at Rawalpindi, where she used to live for her studies. Luckily Sabahat Iqra managed to escape from the vehicle of the kidnappers, as they stopped at a traffic signal and reached home. Mrs. Tasneem John continued that soon after this incident her in-laws tried to kidnap her second daughter as well, but this time they were totally failed by the Grace of Lord Jesus Christ.

The couple said that now they have left their home town and shifted to Sargodha in search of refuge from the atrocities of their Muslim siblings. Replying to question posed by BosNewsLife they said that they are looking for respectable source of income and refuge, away from their native cities.

The concerned couple appealed ROD chairman to help them, they said it is their inalienable right to live freely as Christians, but it is impossible in this Muslim State. They said that it would be much better if they find asylum somewhere out of Pakistan or somewhere very safe in Pakistan. They said trembling that otherwise they might have to face grave circumstances.

Armed Muslim men looted Christian man’s rice crop.

Written by: Jawad Mazhar (ROD)

Mandi Bhaudin, Pakistan, Dec 2nd, (ROD): A Christian cultivator Robby Simon has been robbed off his 7.5 acre of ripened rice crop worth Pak Rs 400,000 (US $ 6667) by 10 armed Muslim men on gun point at village (Chak) No. 37 Tara Tibbi, District Mandi Bhaudin, Punjab, Pakistan during the broad day light on Nov 14th, 2007 at 1400 hours. Culprits are at large as Police fails to serve justice and arrest any of them.

Rays of Development Organization (ROD), a non-profit, non-governmental, non-religious charitable organization, which works for the equal rights of all human kind regardless of their color, creed, sect, race or tongue, probed in to this reprehensible incident.

Yousaf Masih a close kin of Robby Simon told ROD that on Nov 14th, Muhammad Ashraf alias Sadder, Alam Din, Muhammad Azam and Muhammad Sadiq and six other Muslim men armed with rifle AK-47 and deadly 12-Bore Shot Guns, forcibly entered in to the farm house of Christian farmer Robby Simon and tied up his servants Nazir Masih and Muhammad Saleem with ropes.

Masih told ROD that after making the servants hostages, present at the farm house, the culprits brandished their deadly weapons and forcibly started reaping the ripened rice crop with Harvester. Yousaf Masih said that the assailants reaped up the crop within 3.5 hours during the day light. “They finished harvesting and took away the looted rice crop with them, waving fire arms and saying ‘Christians are born to clean manure, therefore go and clean the cesspits and you (Christian) are not supposed to do Cultivation’” said concerned and sobbing Yousaf Masih. He added that the Muslim robbers also blatantly challenged us to do whatever we (Christians) can do against them.

Yousaf Masih expressed his sorrow as saying that the culprits are at large because the police have neither arrested any of the assaulters nor inserted proper sections in the FIR. Yousaf Masih said that Christian farmer Robby Simon filed an application against the robbers at Police Station Kathiyalla, Mandi Bhaudin, and a case with First Information Report (FIR) No. 613/07 was registered under Article 379 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on Nov 17th against the assailants Muhammad Ashraf alias Sadder, Alam Din, Muhammad Azam and Muhammad Sadiq and six unknown Muslims. Masih said that the culprits are the residents of the same village and they are very influential and powerful. He also alleged that the culprits have bribed the local police with Pak Rs 80,000 (US $ 1334), hence police is taking side of the assaulters.

Masih explained that Article 379 is for the small thefts, while in this episode the assailants were armed and they were doing this in the day light by threatening and brandishing deadly fire arms, which is dacoity, and the proper Article in the PPC for the dacoity is Article 395. He went on saying that police is abetting the assaulters and police Investigation Officer; Sub Inspector (SI) Anwer Toppah has blatantly mentioned the area of the looted crop by reducing the original area of 7.5 acre worth Pak Rs 400,000 (US $ 6667) to 4.5 acre worth Pak Rs 100,000 (US $ 1667).

Yousaf Masih also alleged that the influential Muhammad Ashraf alias Sadder and his accomplices are forcibly stopping them from harvesting the 5 acre of sugar cane crop as well.

Chairman of ROD, Ferhan Mazher has condemned this atrocity; he added that Pakistan is the home of people of diverse religions and cultures. He said people from other religious, ethnic or cultural minorities are as much equal Pakistani citizens as Muslims and they deserve the same rights. Therefore no one should think that this is their land and all other people are their slaves or no one should usurp or exploit the rights of other human beings. Chief of ROD maintained that all of us need to learn that we should co-exist peacefully in Pakistan , he also appealed to all the international and national organization to come forward and help ROD in educating and imparting the awareness about the Peace, Harmony, Love and Tolerance in the society.

Report prepared by ROD fact finding including:

Imran Mazher, Ms Khadijah Shah, Adnan Saeed, Nadeem Samuel, Asher Emmanuel, Adil Naseem and Jawad Mazhar

Report recommended by:

Mr Ferhan Mazher
Chairman, Rays of Development Organization (ROD), Sargodha, Pakistan
JawadMazhar.blogspot.com
www.raysofdevelopment.org
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