{"id":814,"date":"2016-04-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.britishasianchristians.org\/full-previous-archive\/2016\/04\/08\/easter-massacre-of-christians-in-pakistan-leads-to-protest-outside-un-headquarters-in-new-york\/"},"modified":"2023-04-30T05:31:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T04:31:22","slug":"easter-massacre-of-christians-in-pakistan-leads-to-protest-outside-un-headquarters-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.britishasianchristians.org\/full-previous-archive\/easter-massacre-of-christians-in-pakistan-leads-to-protest-outside-un-headquarters-in-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter Massacre of Christians in Pakistan leads to protest outside UN Headquarters in New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pakistani Christians from Britain and the United States of America, collaborated in a demonstration outside the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday
\n5th April 2016.  <\/p>\n

The protest was triggered by the Easter Day massacre at Gulshan Park where it has become a long-standing tradition for some decades for Christians to celebrate
\nthe resurrection of Christ, after their morning devotionals.   After the bomb attack Ehsan Ullah Ehsan, leader of Taliban splinter group Jamat ul
\nAhrar claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 74 people and injured a further 360, of which many were Muslims.<\/p>\n

In a chilling statement to Pakistan’s media Mr Ullah Ehsan declared that the attack was targeting Christians on Easter Day under an operation “Saut ul
\nRaad” which will continue throughout this year. “We claim responsibility for the attack on Christians as they were celebrating Easter. “It was part of our annual martyrdom attacks we have started this year,”<\/span>he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

Ehsan Ullah, added:<\/p>\n

“we had been waiting for this occasion and will continue to target Christians in their schools and places of worship.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this statement Pakistan’s Government denies that Christians are being persecuted in their nation.  Drawing on the fact that Muslims have been
\nkilled in this attack Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said the attack was an attack on all Pakistanis and thus far no extra measures have been put in place
\nto protect the Christian minority of Pakistan.<\/p>\n

Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, Wilson Chowdhry has been directly communicating with the Pakistani High Commission for some weeks
\non this matter.  After the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri by the Pakistan’s judiciary tensions towards Christian living there have increased with several
\nchurches and Christian educational groups raising concerns about threats being made of an attack.  Mr Qadri assassinated the former Governor of Pakistan
\nSalmaan Taseer, a Muslim politician who called for the abrogation of the Blasphemy law of Pakistan that is being used as a tool for discrimination against
\nminorities and also calling for freedom of Asia Bibi a mother of five who has now served six years imprisonment under false charges.  For his egalitarian
\nviews Mr Qadri was killed and 3 months later former Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti a practising Christian was fatally shot 24 times by
\na semi automatic gun, the shots to his face left him unrecognisable.   Following usual practice the killers of the Christian politician though arrested
\nand in police custody for a few days, were released and allowed to escape to Saudi Arabia where they were never found.  Mr Chowdhry believes the escape
\nof these killers is symptomatic of the lack of desire to punish those that persecute Christians.<\/p>\n

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the BPCA, said:<\/p>\n

“I am flabbergasted at the insouciance of the Pakistani Government.  In attempting to deflect the truth they have undermined the ongoing genocide that is occurring in their nation a governance failing they choose to ignore.  They have since their inception targeted Christians through the National curriculum of Pakistan which demonizes and caricatures Christians and other minorities.  The text books even label Christians as spies of the west and uses further anti-Pakistani rhetoric that has served only to alienate the Muslim majority against the vulnerable Christian minority.  Decades of inculcation of hatred have engineered a society easily drawn to extremism and ready to enact violence on non-Muslims.  This instability however probably serves the Government of Pakistan who can garner further foreign aid from Britain and America as a consequence.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The protest outside the UN was organised by Tariq Javed of International Community Care Foundation (ICCF), and partnered by British Pakistani Christian
\nAssociation and Hope for Persecuted Christians.  <\/p>\n

Guests at the protest also called for better treatment of the thousands of Pakistani Christians who have been stranded in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia
\nand Sri Lanka, all of whom have been re-persecuted.  These countries have a very easy protocol for tourist visa’s that is relatively inexpensive a
\nproduct of the significant dependency of these nations on tourism for their gross domestic product (GDP).  Unfortunately for the asylum seekers who
\nend up in these countries none of the three have signed the 1951 Convention for Asylum or the 1967 protocol, resulting in widespread abuses including arrest
\nand detainment of UNHCR registered asylum seekers in extremely harsh conditions (including no access to medical care resulting in seven deaths this year
\nalone).  Those outside fair little better suffering extreme poverty due to inability to work and exploitation through black market employment.  Concerns
\nhave also been raised about the bail fines to be paid by detainees in Thailand at the cost of \u00a31000, which is well above the affordability of asylum seekers
\nliving there and is often paid by charities.  The extortionate fees are seen as a policy for fiscal gain in which asylum seekers and refugees have
\nbecome cash cows for an uncaring royal Thai Government.  <\/p>\n

Worse still despite signing conventions for protection of women and children the Royal Thai Government has ruthlessly detained, babies, children, new and
\nexpecting mothers.  Lactating mothers have complained that the food they are eating is causing malnutrition and affecting milk production and mothers
\nhave also complained of lack of access to milk to feed their babies.<\/p>\n

Campaigners including the BPCA have complained about UNHCR delays in resettling Pakistani Christians, which is believed to be a consequence of the inappropriate
\nstaffing of investigative officers.  Currently 8 permanent staff are assessing over 11,000 applications from Pakistan of which a sizeable number of
\nasylum seekers are from the Ahmaddiyah community.  Moreover, the current risk profile for Pakistani Christians is flawed with a belief that they are
\n‘severely discriminated’ and not persecuted.  These two factors have meant over 50% of applications are rejected and the asylum process itself is
\ntaking up to ten years to complete, leaving victims in an extremely vulnerable condition and hostile climate.  During a meeting with Wilson Chowdhry
\nand Lord Alton a UK Peer, Peter trotter a senior protection officer stated that the UNHCR position on Thailand is taken form the current British Home Office
\nPolicy Statement in which Theresa May Home Office Minister states Christians in Pakistan are severely discriminated.   Wilson Chowdhry, has explained
\nto Mr Trotter that the BPCA believes that the UNHCR has a duty to define its own risk profile for Pakistani Christians unfettered by positions held by
\nany member states. The BPCA has submitted an indepth report to the UK Home Office and the UNHCR in Thailand highlighting the scandal of the UNHCR in Thailand
\nand ongoing persecution of Christians in Pakistan.  The report has already triggered a Home office review of their position.  A copy of the report
\ncan be purchased (here)<\/a><\/p>\n

The British Pakistani Christian Association helped Chris Rogers film a 1 hour documentary on the plight of Pakistani Christian asylum seeker in Thailand.
\n You can watch it (here)<\/a><\/p>\n

Guest speakers included:<\/p>\n