The Catholic Church in Pakistan has presented a series of demands to the government, calling for a fair and thorough investigation into the beatings and burning of a young Christian couple accused of desecrating the Quran.
In a so-called Charter of Demands sent to top government officials on Monday, church leaders said they were seeking to curb the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy law against religious minorities.
The charter also urges the government to act on the misuse of mosques to incite violence and calls for training police to protect victims of violence.
“The brutal burning to death of a Christian couple working as bonded labor at the brick kiln is a grim reminder that intolerance in the name of religion in Pakistan has escalated beyond rule of law,” said the document submitted by Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, president of Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
“The situation has now reached beyond the application of laws for justice … crowds and police are repeatedly setting precedents for street justice, which violates the constitution,” said the document, which was sent to President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Supreme Court Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk.
The Major Superiors Leadership Conference, representing Catholic religious communities in Pakistan, also signed the charter.
A mob estimated at more than 1,000 people tortured and burned alive Shahzad Masih, 28, and his pregnant wife, Shama Bibi, 24, parents of three young children, on November 4 at the brick kiln where they worked in Punjab province. Police said the size of the crowd prevented them from protecting the couple…Read More
Source and Original Content by Catholic Herald