The Voice team got the news about the incidence of Blasphemy in Chak 460 Makki, Farooqabad on 30th June 2015. The team including Adv. Aneeqa Maria, Mr. Shahid Anthony, Mr. Napoleon Qayyum and Mr. Imran Barkat went to witness the incidence and help the persecuted families.

Fact finding of the Voice’s team

Occurrence/ Incidence

Rukhsana w/o Awais Qamar Alias Gareeba and Rehana w/o Ashraf Masih are the sisters that live together in a joint family system in Chak 460 Makki village. Awais Qamar is a laborer and was working in a school’s building for the renovation of school. Rukhsana and Awais have four children named Farzana, Waqas, wickson and Sherry. Whereas Rehana have two children named Chand and Sawera. Awais found a used flex of the school having monogram of books on it and in Arabic it was written on it (God give me knowledge). As Rukhsana, Awais and their whole family are uneducated they do not know what was written on it. Rukhsana started using that Flex as a floor Matt. On 30th morning at about 8:00 am one Muslim neighbor of them named Kaneez Bibi visited their house. Kaneez’s husband is a Milk man and they used to distribute milk in the village. Kaneez Bibi saw the floor matt and asked Rukhsana to give her the matt. Rukhsana refused to give the floor matt to her and demanded Rs. 1,000 against the matt. Kaneez said that she only have 400 Rupees and Rukhsana can take milk against 600 remaining amount, but Rukhsana insisted on Cash payment against the floor Matt. Kaneez Bibi agreed and she said that she will call her brother to pay Rukhsana 1,000 Rupees. Kaneez Bibi went out and called one of her brother Muhammad Nasir to the house of Rukhsana. Muhammad Nasir s/o Ahmad Yar belonged to Sipa-e-sahaba group saw the Flex lying on the floor having something in Arabic written on it. He without giving it a second thought started beating Rukhsana while Kaneez Bibi joined him and then she went out and called other people as well that Rukhsana has committed Blasphemy. With in no time the whole village surrounded the house of Rukhsana. The Villagers also called her husband Awais; they shaved the head Awais and started doing the same with Rukhsana and Rehana while few of the locals asked the mob not to do this with the women. They also called the Local Pastor and told him that the Christians have committed the blasphemy so we are going to burn and kill the whole village. Mean while the whole Mob blacken the faces of the three Christians i.e. Rukhsana, Rehana and Awais and put the shoes garland in their necks and forced them to sit on the donkeys and surrounded them in the whole village, teasing and beating them. Some people from the village called the Police and they also called The Voice team for help. During this time many people outside the village belonged to Sipa-e-Sahaba reached the spot while DPO (District police officer) also reached the village with hundreds of Police men. The police took over the entire village and surrounded the village to control the situation. DPO negotiated with the local Muslims and their head named Qari Yaseen who agreed for the settlement upon the condition that both families of Rukhsana and Rehana will leave the village and will not come back again, he also agreed not to burn the village but Qari Muhammad Nasir was not agree upon the settlement and forgiveness. He insisted to kill all of them as they have insulted the Holy Quran and the verses of Quran. DPO saw the Flex and put the Flex in police’s custody. DPO also knew that it was not Quranic verses and he tried to explain this to the Mob but the angry mob was not ready to listen to the DPO on any condition so he put the whole family in the Police van and took them to Sheikhupura in his police station while left hundreds of Police men in the village for the security of the other Christians.

Statement of Pastor Asif: The Voice reached the place of occurrence and met the Pastor of the village named Pastor Asif, he told the team about the whole incidence again. He also said that Qari Nasir accused him as well of Blasphemy in front of DPO. Nasir said that it is the pastor who has taught the Christians to desecrate the holy Quran. While pastor said that if it is me then leave the family and hold me against them for Blasphemy. But my duty is to guide the people for good. My religion is the religion of peace and love and not of hatred.
Statement of Sabir Masih: Sabir Masih told The Voice team that when Kaneez Bibi came out of the Rukhsana’s house she started shouting that these Christian pests have committed blasphemy inform the world that they have desecrated our Holy Quran. With in no time all the Muslim neighbors started contacting the Islamic Radical groups to activate them in the region.
Statement of Shoukat Masih: Shoukat Masih told TVS team that hundreds of Muslims came outside the village; we even don’t know them who were they, and where did they come from. But they were very angry; they started delivering angry and hatred speeches. Moreover they were insistent to kill the family. We don’t know how God saved us all.
Statement of Yousaf Masih: Yousaf Masih told TVS team that DPO and the police tried to control the angry mob but the mob was ready to fight with them, also. The DPO told the angry mob that if they do not leave the place or settled down than the police will use the armed force and weapons to protect the villagers as the villagers are innocent and nobody has committed the blasphemy.
The Voice team reached the Sheikhupura Sadar Police station to meet the family and the Station House officer Muhammad Azam; he called the family including Rehana, Rukhsana and Awais in his office. The Voice team met the family and told them that situation is under control. More over The Voice team also assured them that The Voice team is there to help them and protect them anytime whenever they will call us. The SHO handed them over to the safe custody of their family. He also asked us whether we have any objection, but Adv. Aneeqa Coordinator the Voice told the SHO that we only are concerned about the safety of the family. No matter if they are with their relatives, they should be safe. SHO told TVS team upon asking that there is no FIR against the said accused because there was no Blasphemy. But the police will stay in the village few days for the safety of the other Christians.
Comment: It is a pity that Pakistan is becoming a no welcome country for the Christians, because now Majority just want to kill, burn or eliminate the Minorities especially Christians without knowing that Arabic is not only Holy Quran. Arabic is a language and there are other words except Holy Quran present in the language also. Either they don’t know anything except any reason to persecute and execute Christians or they know everything and still have an agenda to find an excuse to kill, execute or disrespect and degrade the minorities. Whatever the reason is, it is an awful reality that Christians are being dis-respected and executed in all over the world No matter it is any part of the world. May be it is because The Word of God has to be fulfilled that people will dis-respect you, you will be blessed, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. I pray for the persecuted Children of God. May God give them courage to face the persecution even from their fellow brothers and sisters in West.