[ad_1]
Pamela Constable
Foreign correspondent covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Asia, Latin America and immigration
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – The release of a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy against Islam and unconfirmed reports that she was subsequently secretly flown abroad, undermine Pakistani Muslims and intensify the fears of the minority Christian community in Pakistan. country.
The government confirmed Thursday the release of Asia Bibi, whose acquittal by the Supreme Court of Pakistan last week had sparked violent protests and death threats against the authorities. But officials denied reports from the Pakistani media that she was secretly sent out of the country.
Pakistani media reported on Thursday that Bibi, whose lawyer had fled the country earlier this week, had been secretly released from the Multan City Prison, on the order of a high court, driven into a prison. military air base near the capital and transferred Wednesday to the Netherlands. , accompanied by his family and the ambassador of the Netherlands to Pakistan.
Pakistani officials insisted Thursday throughout the day to assert that she had not been released. The government, in a frenzied and successful effort to stop the spread of violence last week, agreed during negotiations with the leaders of the protest that it would not allow him to leave the country.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Bibi had been released from prison but remained "in a safe place in Pakistan." He warned the media to check all the speculative information that she would have left "in order to avoid unnecessary sensationalism and controversy".
[Pakistan’s top court acquits Christian woman facing death penalty for blasphemy]
The Muslim religious group that led the demonstrations, which virtually immobilized the country for three days after the verdict on Oct. 31, demanded his death and threatened to return to the streets if the state encouraged his escape. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the group said the release of Bibi's release and his escape violated the agreement, brought "pain and grief" to the nation and had "written a black chapter of the report." ;history".
But in a video message, Pir Afzal Qadri, senior group leader, said: "The government assured us that it was currently under the custody of law enforcement. . . and he was not taken out of the country. He said officials told the group that Bibi would not be allowed to leave until the Supreme Court ruled on his acquittal.
There was no immediate sign of unrest, but the tension and uncertainty were evident in a series of concise official statements, as well as public confusion over Bibi's status and whereabouts. Since the protests erupted, concern over her acquittal last week in Christian communities has been horrified by the violence that has hailed the decision.
"We were all praying for this lady. When we heard that she was free, we thought that God had answered our prayers, "said Aslam Massih Hassan, a former Christian minister of Jesus Calls, a church with brightly painted breezeblock walls. in a labyrinth of alleys sheltering several thousand poor Christians. families in the capital.
But a few hours after the October 31 court order overturning Bibi's conviction, rumors circulated in the community that thousands of Muslim protesters, unhappy with the verdict, were blocking the country's main roads. The next day, the growing crowd became violent.
Asif Ashraf Jalali (C), chairman of the Islamic political party Tehrik Labaik Ya Rasool Allah, has spoken to reporters after condemning the release of Asian Bibi, a Christian accused of blasphemy, including the death penalty was annulled by Lahore Supreme Court, Pakistan November 8, 2018. (Rahat Dar / EPA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock)
Rashida Mores, a housekeeper who lives near the church, said her daughter was supposed to show up at night service as a nurse in Rawalpindi, 16 kilometers away.
"I begged her not to go, but she insisted," said Mores. "She took a taxi on some minor roads. I prayed all night until she came home.
[[[[After Murder of "Taliban Father" in Pakistan, Grieving People Highlight Complex Legacy]
The series of rabid demonstrations provoked by an anti-blasphemy group of the crusade was abruptly canceled after officials hastily negotiated an agreement with its key leaders. But the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who issued a strong warning to the protesters but later retreated, was criticized for capitulating to an extremist religious movement with growing political ambitions.
Analysts predict that the group's leaders, from the largest Sunni Muslim school in Pakistan and getting new fervent support, will feel encouraged to act more aggressively. And Christian activists, estimated at about 3 million in the Muslim-dominated country of 208 million, fear that explosions will not happen again easily and that Christians and other minority groups will be attacked.
"It seems like we have the law of the jungle now. It is deeply troubling that this radical group has as much power as it can take the whole country hostage and that no one can stop it, "said Nelson Azeem, former legislator and Christian leader of the province. Punjab. "This has created a great fear in the hearts of Christians and other minorities, who feel that they could be targeted for blasphemy and that no one could protect them, no matter how serious their accusations."
Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws are often used for malicious purposes, with false accusations against Christians and Ahmadiyya, a tiny minority venerating a modern day prophet from India. In recent years, many neighborhoods and places of worship belonging to minorities have been attacked by furious crowds, enraged by rumors that someone would have torn or tampered with a Qur'an. Pakistani Muslims insult the Ahmadis, who fervently believe that Muhammad is the "final" prophet.
[In Pakistan, once-fringe Islamist radicals are making their way into mainstream politics]
Bibi, a peasant woman and mother of four, was charged with blasphemy in 2009 after an argument with Muslim colleagues about water sharing. She was quickly found guilty and sent to prison. Even after the Supreme Court ruled in great detail that the case against her was based on unconvincing and contradictory evidence, the emotionally charged protesters demanded that the illiterate mother of four be killed.
"We are all very scared," said Mahnaz Massih, a beautician in a Christian neighborhood. "The pastor told us to go home after the services and not to stay outside. If we hear people talking about religion, we say nothing. We respect Islam and Muslims must respect us, but some Muslims are also afraid, "she added. "They do not like what's going on, but they do not dare to oppose it."
One of the reasons for this widespread malaise is that the leader of the protesters, a prominent member of the movement known as Khadim Hussain Rizvi, has also urged them to violently attack government officials, including Supreme Court justices, and to have soldiers rise up against the head of the national army. , in the name of defending Islam.
The threat had a terrifying precedent, which stemmed from the Bibi affair and could potentially turn any overworked Muslim believer into an assassin. Salman Taseer, then governor of Punjab province, publicly criticized the harsh treatment inflicted on Bibi. He was shot dead by his bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, aged 26, whose "martyrdom" of Islam became Rizvi's rallying cry. movement.
[In expansive Pakistan, Christians struggle to find space for cemeteries]
"With the assassination of Salman Taseer, the issue of blasphemy has become a weapon in their hands," said Zahid Hussain, writer and columnist specializing in public affairs. "When you work on the religious sensibilities of people and justify killing in the name of faith, you create a climate of fear and it works."
The government's reluctance to put a stop to anti-blasphemy crusade is another, more complex, reason. His assault troops are mainly composed of working-class Muslims, but he enjoys considerable sympathy, though mostly tacitly, in the high places.
A prominent Punjab minister visited the Qadri Shrine, hanged for murder in 2016, and other officials attended his funeral. Security troops praised Rizvi's forces during last year's protests over alleged official failures to protect the "purpose of the prophecy" in federal law. And Khan's party, then in competition with the Pakistani Muslim League in power, forged tactical alliances with the Rizvi.
Army leaders are particularly concerned, in part because of persistent insinuations from the Rizvi group and others that General Qamar Javed Bajwa, 58, the army chief, is linked to the ostracized Ahmadiyya minority. In his very harsh speech after the court's decision, Khan notably denounced the threats against the army, which took the trouble to move away from the crisis.
But the most vulnerable Pakistanis are those belonging to poor minority communities like the one where the Hassan Church is located – a bustling but shabby community of the capital, located just a 10-minute walk from the upscale cafe where Taseer has been murdered in 2011. They have no weapons to defend themselves and no high walls separating them from angry intruders.
"For the moment, Christians are not a direct target. The protesters are probably more angry with the government than anyone, "said Munawar Inayat, pastor of the Holy of Holies ministry, another sanctuary of a community play of Hassan. "But next time, God forbid, we have no idea what could happen."
Read more:
Pakistan: Blasphemy: Husband Appeals to Trump, British Prime Minister
Today's coverage of Swiss Post correspondents around the world
Love Washington Post World on Facebook and stay up to date on foreign news
[ad_2]Source link
