Saturday 13 December 2014

Land Grabbing A Serious Issue Of Oppressing Pakistani Christians

KASUR:There is another subtle instrument of oppression against Christians in Pakistan, ‘land grabbing’.It is based on rent, purchase or mortgage of large plots of land including agricultural plots of their forefathers, and in Pakistan this abuse is systematically used by a number of landlords and powerful individuals and in some cases the land of Churches and graveyards is too grabbed.
A poor brick kiln worker Christian family was living in a village Bassan Chak No.47 ,Pattoki and four years ago left their home to work on a brick kiln.The Muslim man,Muhammad Ishaq occupied the home and Church when the family came to know about illegal occupation of their land Church,the Christian family came to village and requested to dispossess the home and their Church.Mr.Ishaq flately refused to give back the home and Church to Christian family.

A Christian woman from the family Ummar Bibi dared to take legal step against the illegal occupation of Mr.Ishaq on it,he beaten and tortured her with the help of other men.She approached the concern Police Station and other land related authorities but all proved vain because the occupant is very strong to defeat the Christian family.

Today,family reached to Rev.Saleem Masih ,Pattoki Church because the Christian family is member of his Church,Lahore diocese,Bishop of Lahore,Rt.Rev.Irfan Jamil.Rev.Saleem called to Advocate Sardar Mushtaq Gill,Human Rights Defender,head of LEAD and requested to reach immediately to his Church,Pattoki where a Christian family, whose home and Church was grabbed by a Muslim man,Muhammad Ishaq,was reached for legal support and help to dispossess the home and Church from the illegal occupation.The Christian family told the facts of the land grabbing and the threats extended towards them.

In many cases of blasphemy,the motive behind the blasphemy issue was just land grabbing.Two more cases of blasphemy accusations have emerged in Pakistan, even after a Christian couple’s beating and alive burning in a brick kiln after allegations of blasphemy horrified the world.The Christian couple were killed over suspicions of desecrating the Quran on 4,November.

Nine Christians in Islamabad have been named in FIR only because their names were found on a list attached to the half burned pages of the Quran.Naheed Ahmed, who runs a tea stall in Islamabad, lodged a formal complaint FIR No. 596/14 in Police Station Industrial Area on 20 November he found partially burned pages of the Quran when he was returning from the mosque after saying the early morning prayer.

One Christian woman School teacher has been booked in an allegation of blasphemy whose investigation is under process.

We at LEAD are trying to resolve this case without registration of FIR and any further litigation, so that the Christian woman could be saved from further social and economic fallout after being accused of blasphemy and from any mishaps.

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