BPCA officer Kanwal Amar pays fee for Advocate Rana Hafeez
BPCA funded lawyer Rana Hafeez has succeeded in winning an investigation into Faisalabad police corruption, after 42 innocent Christians including women and children were arrested
and detained under trumped up terrorism charges.
Frightened women and children behind bars.
On 29th June 2016 Lahore High Court ordered registration of an FIR against Station House Officer (SHO) Waheed Shahid, of Gulberg Police Station
and several other police officers under his supervision. The officers are to be investigated for exhibited unnecessary and unwarranted violence against
Christians and unlawful arrest under anti-terrorism laws.
On May 19th, police from Gulberg Police Station had arrested ex-MPA Pastor Kamal Chaughtai and 41 other Christians from Christian Life Ministries under
what are being labelled as fabricated charges of terrorism.
The incident occurred after a lot of shouting was heard outside Christian Life Church, during a prayer service. Pastor
Kamal rushed out to see what was causing the commotion. When he got outside Pastor Kamal was shocked to see Christian youth being brutally beaten by
police officers. Pastor Kamal and other Christians tried to intervene and save the Christian youth from the violence – they allege they were non-violent
through the process. Police officers arrested and detained 42 Christians under charges of terrorism. During incarceration Pastor Kamal
and other male victims were brutally tortured. A large number of women and children were arrested and a complaint has been filed that women were
arrested by men. Women in Pakistan should only be arrested by women police officers under Pakistani law, due to a large number of rape allegations
against the notoriously brutal and corrupt national police force. Read full story (click here)
Justice Erum Sajjad dismissed SHO Waheed Shahid’s petition for a stay order and SHO Waheed has been suspended form duty as an investigation into his
conduct and that of several colleagues is investigated. SHO Waheed has stated that he led a raid against the Christians at Christian Life Ministries
after hearing allegations of illegal alcohol production at the church. The police raid yielded no evidence of any alcohol making paraphernalia – a
raid that has been described as simply an attempt to harass local Christians.
On May 26, at a session court hearing in Faisalabad, Christians file a petition for an FIR to be laid against SHO Waheed Shahid and other police personnel
involved in the Christian Town rampage.
However Waheed Shahid filed a subsequent petition for a stay order in the Lahore High Court. A court hearing was fixed for June 29th 2016, however
SHO Waheed and his counterparts failed to appear during court proceedings.
Justice Erum Sajjad expressed in the court that SHO Waheed had been warned that his petition would be dismissed in the case of his absence, explaining
that due to the failure by the SHO to heed his warning he had no choice but to follow protocol and ordered an FIR and investigation into his conduct.
During police custody, Pastor Kamal Chaughtai underwent excruciating torture, which caused him to suffer from hypertension. On release he was
admitted to hospital for two days for his recovery.
Pastor Kamal, said:
“The brutality of the Police towards us was disgraceful it would not happen in any other country. We were praying peacefully and reacted to a large commotion – we simply tried to stop two young men from being killed by police before us. They slapped and beat us for no reason and thought they would get away with this, but God will have our revenge.”
Wilson Chowdhry Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said:
“It is rare for Christians to get justice in a country that views them as pariah’s. However quite unusually, the blase approach to court procedure by police officers has led to them now having to undergo investigation into their corrupt practice. Evidence is stacked against the police whose excessive use of violence, failure to find any alcohol making paraphernalia and incarceration of women and children under terrorism laws has been condemned universally. However, they may still evade justice as a corrupt police force has little desire in investigating their own failings.
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The cost of the legal cover may increase and BPCA would also like to support the family of Pervaiz Masih a victim still incarcerated. If you would
like to donate please (click here)