Renewed threats against Christians

A Pakistan-based human rights group is worried about increasing attacks on Christians in the country following a number of recent threats received by them in the south of Punjab Province. The concern follows an attack on a church in the province in which 16 people were killed.

"Recently, in the district of Muzaffargarh, near Multan in Pakistan's Punjab Province, Islamic extremists have been hanging banners calling on Muslims to kill Christians as part of their religious duty," Aftab Multan, the executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) in Multan, told IRIN, on Monday.

He added that although Christian leaders persuaded those responsible for hanging the banners to remove them, a few days later they had reappeared, and that some threats had also been sent in the post and by telephone.

The mounting resentment towards the Christian community and those linked with the West, Mughal said, was in response to the US-led air strikes on Afghanistan. "There is a misconception among Muslims that Pakistani Christians are somehow linked with the US. We need to correct them." He explained that the JPC was also trying to address the Muslim community to say that Christians were firstly Pakistanis and facing the same problems as the Muslims in the country.

Following the attack, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addressed the nation, condemning it and vowing to catch the culprits. The incident took place at St Dominic's Church in Bahawalpur in Punjab Province, in which 15 Christian worshippers and a Muslim policeman died instantly when they were gunned down by what were thought to be Islamic terrorists.

According to witnesses, five men on two motorcycles entered the church lawn and opened fire. Mughal said although some arrests had been made, it was still unclear as to which groups the culprits belonged to.

"This was not the last incident, it may just be the beginning," Mughal said, adding that JPC was demanding that the government protect minorities while the US-led air strikes continued. He said church leaders across Pakistan were very worried about the safety of their places of worship, and were meeting in Islamabad in the next few days to work out a strategy to present to the government.

Referring to the situation in Bahawalpur, Mughal said the church had remained closed since the attack on 28 October, and that a special prayer ceremony was to be held soon, after which the place of worship would reopen. However, he said, Christians were now too scared to go back to that church and others. "Attendance is low at churches across Pakistan," he said. "People are taking their own weapons to church to ensure maximum safety.".

Christians make up 1.5 percent of the population in Pakistan, and are concentrated in Punjab Province in cities such as Lahore, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad.

Christians were angry, believing they had no future in this country, that they were helpless and thinking about how they were going to survive, he said. "It is going to take some time before they can begin to feel comfortable again," he added.

The last time there was such an attack on the minority community in Pakistan was in 1997 when the village of Shanti Nagar, near Multan, was burnt down. Mughal warned that the same could happen again if the government did not act fast in stopping extremist groups from lashing out.

Security has been stepped up at churches across Pakistan, and Christian leaders have been advised to take precautions and restrict their movements in and around cities.

At the Our Lady of Fatima Church in Islamabad, four armed officers are carrying out thorough checks on everyone entering the building. "We had a solidarity meeting with Muslim leaders last week who have been supportive," Fr Nevin told IRIN. "However, worshippers are a little frightened, and they have also organised their own extra security at their homes."

A practising Christian, Sonia Rubiaqa, aged 18, told IRIN she was being cautious in her movements around the city, especially on Fridays, which is the Islamic holy day. "Some of my friends at school are always asking me why I don't convert to Islam. I don't say anything, I just keep quiet. But I am proud to be Christian," she said.