Christians gathered in front of the Pakistan High Commission this morning before handing in a petition to 10 Downing Street calling for a suspension of foreign aid to Pakistan until persecution of Christians stops.
The protest and witness was organised by the British Pakistani Christian Association and began at 11am in London’s Lowndes Square outside the Pakistani High Commission for a worship service .
There was a one minute silence for Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistan minister for minorities who was shot dead by gunmen on 2nd March last year for calling for the repeal of Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which is regularly used by Muslims to settle scores against their Christian neighbours.
Bhatti’s death followed that of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who had also opposed the law, and was shot dead by a renegade Islamist bodyguard.
There have been relentless campaigns of rape and terror against Christians in Pakistan, with a church illegally demolished in Lahore and a whole village, Gojra, burnt to the ground in 2009.
A Christian woman, Asia Bibi, is still in prison in Pakistan after being sentenced to death for blasphemy. Her crime was to ask a Muslim neighbour during a religious argument, ‘Christ died for me; what did Muhammed ever do for you?’
The protest today called for the release of Asia Bibi, as well as the repeal of Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistan Christian Association, said: ‘The blasphemy laws in the Pakistan Penal Code need to be reformed so that they do not provide an opportunity to settle personal vendettas or to oppress Pakistani Christians and churches.’
Speakers at the witness outside Downing Street included Stuart Windsor of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Andre Minichello-Williams of Christian Concern, Alan Craig from Christian People’s Alliance, Gareth Wallace, Public Affairs Advisor of the Salvation Army, Stephen Green, National Director of Christian Voice and Martin Mawyer from the US Christian Action Network.
PRAY: That President Zardawi of Pakistan will respond to international calls for Asia Bibi to be released. There is a story around that he wants to release her, but that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has blocked the move until all legal process has finished, which could take months if not years. Meanwhile this determined young woman’s children need their mother.
WRITE TO: The Pakistani High Commissioner, His Excellency Wajid Shamsul Hasan at Pakistan High Commission, 35 Lowndes Square , LONDON , SW1X 9JN . Respectfully demand that Asia Bibi be released. Ask His Excellency to forward your demand to the President of Pakistan. Address him as “Your Excellency” and end “Yours faithfully.”
You can EMAIL His Excellency on: ss2phc@yahoo.co.uk
ALSO write to your MP and ask what representations the British Government has made to the government of Pakistan about Asia Bibi’s case.
ASK your MP to sign Andrew Stephenson’s Early Day Motion (EDM 2807) which ‘… notes that theUK gives significant aid to nations such as Pakistan where many minority communities suffer injustice under the blasphemy laws,
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