detention of dozens of mainly Christian human rights workers in Pakistan, BosNewsLife monitored Saturday, May 21. International Christian Concern (ICC), a Christian advocacy group active at Capitol Hill and the United States State Department, said the incident happened in Lahore where human rights activists were planning a rally to protest "the increased power and influence of Islamic priests called Mullaism" and violence against women.
The rally came after Islamic militants reportedly attacked women athletes who were participating in a April mixed-gender marathon in Gujranwala, Pakistan saying "that women’s participation in public sports is repugnant" to Islam.
"However on May 14 just before the rally was to begin, police from various stations around Lahore raided the offices and charged the activists with their batons," ICC claimed in a statement to BosNewsLife News Center.
40 ACTIVISTS DETAINED
Jubilee Campaign, another human rights watchdog, said about "forty human rights defenders were arrested and detained by police," including its "good friend, Joseph Francis, Coordinator of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS)."
It said other CLAAS advocates "beaten and carried away by police" included Deputy Coordinator Wasim Muntizar, Administrator and Accounts officer Waseem Yousaf and Attorney Aneega Maria." Also "beaten and arrested" was Sohail Samson, Coordinator of Sharing Life Ministry, who is working with CLAAS to assist Christian prisoners, the group added.
ICC stress that Muslim militants, including "at least 10 bus loads of university students, counter-activists belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami party" joined the police "in beating the gathered Christians."
WOMEN ALSO ATTACKED
Police officers and Jamaat-e-Islami members reportedly pulled the hair of women, dragged them down the road and stripped them of their clothes. "Men involved in the rally were severely beaten and later taken to Model Town Police Station along with some women. Most of the women were transported to the Race Course Police Station for Women," ICC said.
Pakistani officials have not reacted to the claims. News reports said that while detained, no one was allowed contact with the Christian human rights workers and no formal charges were brought against them.
All of the activists were released later the same day, "but it still remains unclear what provoked the violent beatings," ICC added.
LINKS TO CHRISTIANITY
"It seems that the police had targeted the activists for their ties to Christianity, and their opposition to oppressive Mullaism that plagues Pakistan," ICC said.
"International Christian Concern strongly denounces this violence and calls on Pakistan to reign in their police force. This is just the latest in a long string of violence carried out by police targeting Christians. In the past, police have arrested Christians and beaten the prisoners to death, with no charges filed." Christians make up less than 3 percent of Pakistan’s 160-million strong, mainly Muslim, population, according estimates. (With Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife, BosNewsLife Research and reports from Pakistan)
