Catholic World News News Feature
Pakistan Christians Released, Others Still In Jail January 18, 2001
KARACHI, Jan. 18, 01 (CWNews.com/Fides) - A few of a larger group of blasphemy-law protesters in Pakistan, a Catholic priest, 2 laymen, and a Muslim, were released from jail in Karachi on Tuesday.
Father Arnold Heredia had been arrested along with other 2 other Christians and 14 Muslims on January 10, during a protest march against blasphemy laws in Karachi.
Along with Father Heredia, who served as executive secretary of Idara-e-Amno Insaf, Karachi (IAIK, an ecumenical justice and peace committee) for 28 years, two other Christians-- Aslam Martin from Idara-e-Amno Insaf, Karachi and Riaz Nawab from Caritas Pakistan-- and a Muslim, S. M. Haider were released. When Idara paid $500 bail for each person, a police officer said all the charges against the four had been dropped.
"We are not sure of the exact story as to why the authorities dropped the charges," said Atfab Mughal, secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of Multan diocese. "We think it was due to pressure from the people. Neither Father Heredia nor the others made any forgiveness appeal to the authorities." He added that Father Heredia is in good condition, except for a slight foot injury for which he need medical treatment.
In the meantime, Protestants arrested on January 11 for distributing Christian literature and a "Jesus" film in Jacobabad some 650 kilometers from Islamabad are still in jail. Two young boys, Khalid Masih and Nasir Masih, were jailed on charges of proselytism. The local Muslim religious leaders, called Moulvies, made it a religious issue against the entire Christian community of Jacobabad and pressed the district administration to arrest pastor Yousaf Masih and two other Protestant leaders for "circulating anti-Muslim material." Extremist Muslims, threatening to kill the pastors, broke into and robbed the Baptist church. The Moulvies published anti-Christian posters and urged Muslims to withdraw their children from the local Christian school, Victor Public Secondary School. About 100 Christian families live in Jacobabad and all of them are poor.
