Dokument #1123334
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
Information on Christians in Pakistan is
scarce among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
On 11 August 1995, hundreds of Christians
marched through Islamabad, demonstrating for changes to the
blasphemy laws to protect non-Muslims (UPI 11 Aug. 1995; The
Washington Times 12 Aug. 1995).
On 8 September 1995, Christians celebrated
the birth of the Virgin Mary in Mariamabad, 85 km from Lahore
(Églises d'Asie 16 Oct. 1995, 8). This festival has been
celebrated for the last 48 years (ibid.).
From 12-24 October 1995, 15 Christians and
Hindus participated in a seminar in Islamabad that dealt with the
theme of minority rights and tolerance (Églises d'Asie 16
Dec. 1995, 9).
According to Églises d'Asie of 1
December 1995, M. Mukhtar Makkhu, a Christian detained by police
for blasphemy, died on 7 November 1995 in police custody (7). A
hundred Christians demonstrated in the streets of Younahabad
following his death (ibid.). According to Reuters of 15 November
1995 and AP Worldstream of 18 November 1995, Mukhtar Masih, a
Christian detained in Lahore on blasphemy charges, also died in
police custody.
Information on the treatment of Christians
in Pakistan in the period since January 1996 could not be found
among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
The following Responses to Information
Requests may also be of general interest: PAK19515.E of 7 February
1995 on the implementation of 295(c) of the Pakistan Penal Code,
PAK22282.E of 16 November 1995 on the status of the draft law since
May 1995 to amend the blasphemy laws, and PAK20248.E of 6 June 1995
for a copy of the Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of
298(c) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of
additional sources consulted in researching this Information
Request.
References
Associated Press (AP). 18 November 1995.
Worldstream. "Christian's Death in Police Custody Triggers
Inquiry." (NEXIS)
Églises d'Asie [Paris]. 16
December 1995. No. 211. "Pakistan: Les minorités religieuses
s'engagent à continuer la lutte pour la reconnaissance de
leurs droits."
_____. 1 December 1995. No. 210.
"Pakistan: En bref: Un chrétien accusé de
blasphème meurt en prison."
_____. 16 October 1995. No. 207.
"Pakistan: Culte de la Vierge et tradition religieuse populaire
à Mariamabad."
Reuters World Service. 15 November 1995.
BC Cycle. "Pakistani Christian Dies in Police Custody." (NEXIS)
The United Press International (UPI). 11
August 1995. BC Cycle. Anwar Iqbal. "Hundreds of Christians Marched
..." (NEXIS)
The Washington Times. 12 August 1995.
Final Edition. "Pakistani Christians Protest Blasphemy Law."
(NEXIS)
Églises d'Asie [Paris]. 16
December 1995. No. 211. "Pakistan: Les minorités religieuses
s'engagent à continuer la lutte pour la reconnaissance de
leurs droits," p. 9.
_____. 1 December 1995. No. 210.
"Pakistan: En bref: Un chrétien accusé de
blasphème meurt en prison," p. 7.
_____. 16 October 1995. No. 207.
"Pakistan: Culte de la Vierge et tradition religieuse populaire
à Mariamabad," p. 8.
Reuters World Service. 15 November 1995.
BC Cycle. "Pakistani Christian Dies in Police Custody." (NEXIS)
The United Press International (UPI). 11
August 1995. BC Cycle. Anwar Iqbal. "Hundreds of Christians Marched
..." (NEXIS)
Amnesty International. July 1994.
Pakistan: Use and Abuse of Blasphemy Laws.
Asian Survey [Berkeley, Calif.].
Monthly. January to April 1996.
Current History [Philadelphia]. Monthly.
January to May 1996.
DIRB. "Amnesty International: Pakistan"
country file. December 1995 to present.
_____. Indexed Media Review [Ottawa].
Weekly. January to July 1996.
_____. "Pakistan" country file. November
1995 to present.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service
(FBIS) Daily Reports. CD ROM. 1996.
Journal of South Asian and Middle
Eastern Studies [Villanova, Pa.]. Quarterly. 1995 to present.
La lettre hebdomadaire de la FIDH
[Paris]. Fortnightly. November 1995 to May 1996.
The Minority Rights Group Reports
[London]. Various dates. 1995 to present.
New Internationalist [Toronto]. Monthly.
January to July 1996.
News from Asia Watch [New York].
Monthly. 1993 to present.
Le nouvel Afrique-Asie [Paris]. Monthly.
January to July/August 1996.
The Outsider: The Newsletter of MRG
[London]. Quarterly. 1995 to present.
Pacific Affairs [Vancouver]. Quarterly.
1995 to present.
Refugee Branch, Asylum Division,
Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ottawa. Infrequent reports.
1996.
Swiss Review of World Affairs [Zurich].
Monthly. June 1995 to July 1996.
Third World Quarterly [London].
Quarterly. 1995 to present.
United Nations. Economic and Social
Council. Commission on Human Rights, Geneva. 2 January 1996.
Implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms
of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief:
Report Submitted by Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur, in
Accordance with Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1995/23.
On-line search of media sources.