Pakistani Church voices concern about Christians

Islamabad: Pakistani Church leadership voiced concerns about the religious minorities and closing spaces. Despite the lofty claims made by the government of Pakistan, Arzo Raja (Christian minor girl) case raised many questions on the prejudiced investigation by the law enforcement agencies and court decisions.

Bishop Abraham Azeem Daniel

Bishop Abraham Azeem Daniel, Bishop of the Gospel Baptist Church and Chairman Sahiwal Church Council voiced through social media said that the court raised questions on the state institutions while directing the provincial home secretary to constitute a medical board to determine the age of Arzoo Raja, underage Christian girl forcefully converted to Islam and married to a 44 year-old Muslim man. He said that in spite of her school certificates and the record by National Database and Registration Authorities (NADRA) presented to the honourable court, the bench ordered to form a medical board. The said order created doubt on the integrity of the court among the community. It has become practise that the courts verdicts against minorities’ girls were discriminatory, he added. 

Bishop Irfan Jamil, Bishop of Lahore, Church of Pakistan and Bishop Jimmy Matthew, Commissary Bishop Northern Dioceses, Church of Pakistan both adopted the wait and see policy and said that since the matter is sub-judice so we should wait the verdict. However, in the past forced conversion of minors got the legal cover, said Bishop Jimmy Matthew.

The authorities will submit a report on her age in the next hearing on November 9, 2020. Until then, the girl will remain at a shelter home. Earlier the court validated her marriage and left her mother crying and pleading outside the courtroom.

The underage marriages and forced conversion from minority communities to Islam is a pandemic that won’t end on its own. Since partition religious minorities have been treated as second-class citizens. The constitution legally bars religious minorities from high government offices and requires that all laws are compatible with Islamic teachings. The Christians have been the target of escalating attacks in recent decades. The attacks, on their residential areas and worship places, have mostly been motivated by the country’s controversial blasphemy laws. But the government claims that some people want to paint Pakistan in a particular way.

During 2019, around 100 incidents of persecution were reported, included instances of discrimination, sexual assault, abduction, forced conversion, underage marriages, beatings, torture, false blasphemy accusations, and even murder.

Over 700 Christian women being trafficked to China, Human Rights Watch says they are ‘at risk of sexual slavery’. Despite the fact, Pakistan suppressed to avoid damaging relations with Beijing.