The police are preventing access to the National Council of Churches in Pakistan.
LAHORE, Pakistan On August 11, Christians in numerous cities demonstrated remarkable resilience, defying efforts by the Pakistani government and Islamist organizations to suppress their protests, marches, and rallies. Their steadfast dedication advocated for the cessation of religious intolerance and the misapplication of blasphemy laws, inspiring all who bore witness to their courage.
In 2009, the government set August 11 aside to honor religious minorities for their commitment and contribution to the advancement of their nation. This day also commemorates Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s historic 1947 speech, a momentous occasion where he pledged to defend the rights of Sikhs, Christians, and Hindus. Jinnah’s vision for a tolerant Pakistan resonates with the ongoing struggle for religious freedom.
This year, however, the marches by Christians faced fierce opposition from Islamist groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Sunni Tehreek, and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). These parties alleged that the rallies organized by the Christians were a “foreign conspiracy” seeking the abolition of the blasphemy laws.
Despite facing opposition, the Rawadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality) demonstrated its resilience. It announced a 24-hour hunger strike camp outside the Punjab Assembly in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province. However, the police thwarted their plans, preventing the camp.
The camps protested against violent mob attacks against Christians accused of blasphemy.
Rawadari Tehreek’s Chairman, Samson Salamat, shared the challenges they faced. He revealed, “We had intended to commence the hunger strike camp on August 10 and conclude it with a rally on August 11. However, our plans were disrupted when a large police contingent blocked the National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) premises where we had gathered, refusing to let us leave.”
Salamat said that senior police and security officials forced them to defer the hunger strike and gave them conditional permission to form a rally in front of the Lahore Press Club on Sunday (August 11) instead of the planned venue of the Punjab Assembly.
“The police also beat up some of our members and detained two senior leaders at a police station for over eight hours,” he said. “They cited threats from the TLP and other extremist outfits as reasons for the curbs, but we told them that instead of surrendering to these groups, they should ensure the writ of the state and ensure our protection.”
The TLP, known for whipping up anger over blasphemy, has made headlines for controversial and radical statements and actions in recent years.
The political party was formed after the killing of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer in 2011. Taseer was known for his support for Aasia Bibi, Pakistan’s most notable blasphemy suspect, which led to his assassination by Mumtaz Qadri.
During a public rally in Lahore in July, Zaheerul Hassan Shah, the deputy chairman of the TLP, announced a prize of 50 million rupees (US$180,000) for Pakistan’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s head. The judge’s decision was made in favor of the Ahmadi faith and for speaking out against the abuse of blasphemy laws.
On August 6, the TLP sent letters to district governments in major cities of Sindh Province, such as Karachi and Sukkur, Punjab Province cities, such as Lahore, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi, and the federal capital of Islamabad. They threatened to cause disturbances if the permits granted to Christians for marches were not immediately revoked.
“We demand that the government revoke the permits for minority marches. We see this as an attempt to criticize the blasphemous laws we will not tolerate. While minorities have the right to practice their faiths in Pakistan, no one will be allowed to disrespect Prophet Muhammad,” states letters from the TLP addressed to the district administrations in Karachi and Islamabad.
Following the threats, the district governments in Karachi and Islamabad formally announced the revocation of permissions for Christian groups. The Karachi administration, however, reversed the decision after Christian activists held meetings with senior government leaders and protested.
“We were denied our constitutional right to speak for persecuted minorities,” Salamat said. The Lahore police also threatened to register cases against them.
He added that despite the police’s highhandedness and threats from extremist groups, around 1,000 Rawadari activists still managed to hold a rally outside the press club.
“We demanded an end to the misuse of the draconian blasphemy laws and violence against minorities, particularly Christians in Punjab,” Salamat said. “We also protested against the muzzling of our voices, which violates our constitutional rights.”
In the port city of Karachi, several hundred Christians and members from other minority communities gathered outside Frere Hall. Despite the looming threat from TLP activists, the minorities stood united, demonstrating a strong sense of solidarity that was palpable to all present.
“The event is a big slap on the face for Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and the government,” said one of the march organizers, Luke Victor. “Police erected barriers to prevent many participants from attending. Officials instructed us not to speak about the blasphemy law.”
Blasphemy, punishable by death in Pakistan, is a sensitive subject in conservative Muslim-majority Pakistan, where mere accusations have led to street lynchings. Human rights groups say Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores.
Victor told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that Islamist groups were spreading misinformation that the minorities wanted the blasphemy laws to be abolished.
“We did not raise the slogan to abolish or repeal the [blasphemy] law. Our slogan was to let the courts do their job if you file a complaint. Do not burn Jaranwala, do not burn Nazeer Masih Gill,” he said, referring to mob attacks against Christians. “Those who burned my Bible, desecrated my cross, and burned my church—are these not acts of blasphemy? Register cases against them and punish them too.”
Pastor Ghazala Shafique addressed the gathering and criticized the government for portraying itself as religiously tolerant while the “ground reality was different.”
“We want this sort of Pakistan where there is no discrimination in the name of religion,” she said. “That’s the impression we want to give the world; please make such policies, action plans, and strategies to create harmony.”
A senior Puisne judge of the Sindh High Court, Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, also addressed the event.
“Pakistan’s constitution ensures all rights for minorities,” he said, adding that minorities in Pakistan have all social and economic rights. “It is the government’s responsibility to ensure these rights per the constitution.”
Renowned Muslim activist Sheema Kirmani also voiced concerns about the lack of due rights for minorities.
“We will have to explain to our children that the white part of Pakistan’s flag represents minorities,” she said.
The Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP) organized a conference in Islamabad to raise awareness of the critical issues that minority communities face nationwide. MAP Chairman Advocate Akmal Bhatti said that Pakistani society had fallen to extremism and terrorism due to the wrong policies of successive governments.
“Hate, prejudice, and killings in the name of religion are increasing day by day, instilling fear and insecurity in minority communities,” Bhatti said, according to a press statement. “The political leadership must play their role in developing Pakistan on the liberal and secular ideology of Jinnah.”
He said that, among other discriminatory practices, tampering with data from the population census decreased the stated population of Christians, which clearly showed a biased mindset towards minorities. He urged all stakeholders, including government bodies, civil society organizations, and the general public, to act against discriminatory issues.
Meanwhile, in an open letter on National Minorities Day, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) urged the government to take immediate action to safeguard the rights of religious minorities in the country.
The HRCP emphasized that the Supreme Court has upheld the right to practice, profess, and propagate one’s religion in several rulings, most notably a historic 2014 decision and that it is a fundamental right guaranteed in Articles 20 and 21 of the Pakistani Constitution.
The letter highlighted the alarming rise in mob violence, forced conversions, false blasphemy allegations, hate speech, and attacks on places of worship. It asserted that the atmosphere of fear and repression was a consequence of the Pakistani state’s long-standing accommodation of far-right religious groups, leading to an increasingly radicalized society.
The group urged the government to fully implement the Supreme Court’s 2014 judgment, including the establishment of an autonomous national commission for minorities and the protection of religious sites from violence and illegal occupation.
It also called on the state to take a firm stance against hate speech, incitement to violence, and mob attacks, ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable and that victims are compensated for any loss of life or property. The letter also demanded accountability for those making false blasphemy accusations and called on the parliament to debate the misuse of blasphemy laws.
The group also recommended stringent regulation of religious seminaries to prevent them from becoming breeding grounds for hatred against minorities and urged the government to criminalize forced conversions, which disproportionately affect girls and women from minority communities.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most challenging places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.