By Michael Ireland

WITH the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani Christians have lost a vital supporter of their rights, according to a legal advocate for persecuted Christians in Pakistan.

Nasir Saeed is the United Kingdom-based coordinator for the Centre of Legal Aid Assurance and Settlement (CLAAS), which fights for the rights of Pakistan’s 3.5 million-strong Christian minority.

He told Impact News, a ministry of CDR Radio Network in Ohio, that Pakistani Christians have always supported Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – because, he maintained,  her approach to politics was to not address religion, but to only focus on secularism and equal rights, unlike the other parties in Pakistan’s political system.

Under the Pakistan Penal Code, anyone who defiles the name of the Prophet Muhammad could be fined, imprisoned for life or executed. Saeed said Christians hoped Bhutto would once again be elected prime minister, and then change the blasphemy laws.

As two-time prime minister, Bhutto was very open in her opposition to Muslim blasphemy laws. Her assassination threw Pakistan into rioting and political chaos just 12 days before elections were scheduled to be held.

Continue article >>

The assassination, Saeed contended, is “devastating news” for Pakistan’s oppressed Christian population. He said Bhutto had been “the best hope” for the country’s non-Muslim population, as well as the nation.

“We had spoken with Ms Bhutto about the appalling persecution that Christians currently face,” he continued. “She listened hard to our grievances, and promised that she would attempt to rectify the situation,” said Saeed.

“Pakistani Christians around the world had been praying for her and supporting her for many years now. She was the most enlightened and moderate politician, and struggled hard to bring real democracy to the country.

“The Christian minority in Pakistan has suffered a great loss and now fear that they will never be able to replace Ms. Bhutto – of whom they held great hopes for an end to fundamentalism and persecution.”

He added: “If enough people knew about these appalling injustices, and made their voices heard, we could finally bring an end to the endless tales of torture, rape, execution and mob violence that we have to read about as a matter of course at CLAAS.”

Saeed concluded: “We need governments and citizens around the world to speak out, and to apply pressure on Pakistan’s future government.”

– Assist News Service

February 2008