“I will die but I will not let you go in” – these were the last words of Akash Bashir, a young man who saved the lives of more than a thousand worshippers nine years ago, on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The 20-year-old volunteer security guard sacrificed himself when he blocked a suicide bomber from entering St John’s Catholic Church in Lahore, Pakistan. The Vatican has declared him a Servant of God, paving the way for him to become the country’s first saint.
Christians in Pakistan suffer for their faith every day. Making up only two perc ent of the population, they are routinely treated as second-class citizens, and the threat of physical violence is often palpable. The nation’s draconian blasphemy laws are also frequently misused against them as part of personal vendettas.
Pakistan had once been envisioned as a haven for religious freedom, where non-Hindus could escape India’s caste system. Notably, Christians were instrumental in ensuring western Punjab became a part of the country in 1947. Yet, the situation of Pakistan’s non-Muslim minorities today is tragically reminiscent of caste.
Even though freedom of religion is ostensibly guaranteed by the constitution, life for Pakistani Christians is a “story of oppression”, according to the latest report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP). The report, titled “Persecuted Yet Again”, highlights a “growing trend of religious extremism” disrupting the daily lives of minorities.
Christians’ education and employment options are extremely limited. Participation in politics – even voting in elections, let alone running for office – is also virtually impossible for them. Occasionally, not only their families’ livelihoods, but their very lives can be at risk.
The Church has been especially shaken by, and is yet to recover from, a wave of violence that swept through Christian neighbourhoods in Jaranwala, Punjab Province last summer. A mob of thousands went on a rampage on 16 August 2023 after two Christian men were accused – falsely, as it later turned out – of desecrating the Qur’an. The riot broke out when anti-Christian announcements were broadcast from mosques via loudspeakers, urging Muslims to gather and attack Christians. The police failed to respond before the situation spiralled out of control.
The violent crowd looted and torched 26 churches and around 90 Christian homes, prompting the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference to describe the series of atrocities as “the worst tragedy against Christians” to have ever occurred in the country. Many of the targeted buildings were completely destroyed, with numerous families losing all their possessions in the attacks.
The bishops demanded “effective measures for the protection of minorities to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future”. They also expressed hope that “the Christian community will continue to strive for the development of the country and the restoration of peace”.
At the end of January this year, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore spoke with UK parliamentarians at an event in the Westminster, organised by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). He recounted his visit to Jaranwala shortly after the riots to meet victims, joined by caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar and a number of Muslim leaders. The archbishop witnessed a “terrible devastation”, with people “shocked and desperate”, many of them with nothing left following the destruction of their homes.
Archbishop Shaw has spearheaded various interfaith dialogue initiatives with influential Muslim leaders and scholars which he believes have helped defuse tensions in the aftermath of the mob violence in Jaranwala. He highlighted a particular example where an ulema (a scholar of Islamic doctrine) apologised, with tears in his eyes, on behalf of his people at a press conference the day after the rampage.
The archbishop believes that Islamic scholars can play a key role in encouraging the government to crack down on extremists who persecute Christians in Pakistan. He also hopes that the voices of prominent Muslim leaders denouncing the persecution of Christians will eventually motivate the government to adequately protect minority faith groups.
In response to a request for financial assistance by Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad, ACN approved an aid package to help 464 families get back on their feet, as well as supporting the renovation of burnt-down churches. The state government of Punjab also contributed to the restoration work.
Even with the physical damage largely repaired, invisible forms of harm still remain. The nearly 1,000 Christians who fled their torched houses and spent the night sleeping in sugarcane fields – before returning to the ruins of their homes – will likely be haunted by those long hours of agony for years to come, despite their incredible resilience and strength of faith.
Archbishop Shaw said that the survivors of the violence are not feeling safe in their restored homes. According to the NCJP report, out of the estimated 7,000 perpetrators, only around 300 were arrested for vandalism and arson by the end of October 2023, and at least 100 of them were later released. Around 200 people were charged with insults by the end of August 2023. This means the vast majority of the culprits have got away with the crimes and are living next to the Christian families whose lives they ruined.
According to Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Christians “have paid a heavy price for the state’s neglect regarding the actions of extremist groups against religious minorities in the country”. He stressed: “We expect the state to take concrete steps to restore the broken confidence of religious minorities.”
At the event in Westminster, Archbishop Shaw told parliamentarians that Christians in Pakistan are feeling isolated and in desperate need of help.
Out of all forms of discrimination and human rights violations, Christian persecution remains one rarely addressed by Western governments. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) allocated £41.54 million in official development assistance for Pakistan for the 2023-2024 financial year. The amount is projected to rise to £133 million in 2024-25, with areas of focus including climate change, public health and women’s rights. Regrettably, supporting Pakistan’s Christian minority is not listed as a priority for the FCDO.
Many UK aid programmes aim to promote gender equality, either directly or indirectly. Yet the British government has failed to take sufficient action to address the horrific mistreatment under the law of many Pakistani Christian and other religious minority women.
The most glaring example in this regard is Asia Bibi, on death row for blasphemy. In 2018, as her case was being decided by the supreme court of Pakistan, the UK resisted calls for her to be offered asylum in the UK. Similarly, the UK government has so far refused to offer sanctuary to Maira Shahbaz, who is facing death threats after being accused of apostasy by the man who had kidnapped her aged 14, forcibly married her and demanded that she convert to Islam.
Fiona Bruce MP, the prime minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, has time and again championed the cause of persecuted Christians, not least in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the UK government could do more to call out human rights violations experienced by followers of Christ not just in South Asia but in many other parts of the world.
This article first appeared in the March 2024 issue of the Catholic Herald. To subscribe to our multiple-award-winning magazine and have it delivered to your door anywhere in the world, go here.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.