June 24, 2008

Pakistan Christians 'living in terror' after kidnapping

The tiny Christian community in Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province is living in terror, says a Pakistan church leader, despite the safe release of 16 Christians kidnapped by a suspected Islamic militia group.

"Christians are being victimised and harassed in the struggle here," Humphrey Peter, secretary of the synod of the Church of Pakistan, told Ecumenical News International on June 23. He was speaking from Peshawar, the province's capital, as he confirmed the release of the detainees, who had been kidnapped on June 21.

Mr Peter said militants from "The Army of Islam" had taken the Christians at gunpoint from a prayer meeting at the residence of a fellow believer near Peshawar, and released them next day.

"Thank God, it was over in one night," said Mr Peter. He added, however, that Pakistani Christians living in the border area with Afghanistan are, "now living in terror and do now know what will happen next".

Tension has been mounting in the border areas after US-led forces in Afghanistan carried out attacks on Taliban targets in the region, and recently killed Pakistani soldiers as well as civilians.

Mr Peter said the kidnapping meant that the Taliban's supporters had shown they could do, "anything they wanted to draw international attention".

In 2007, Christians in Peshawar received threats to convert to Islam or leave the city, while Christian schools were attacked and faced demands to close down.

Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Pakistan, which includes the Church of Pakistan among its members, told Ecumenical News International that Islamic fundamentalist forces in the Muslim-majority nation were using Christians as, "whipping boys".

Mr Azariah said that Islamic fundamentalists had shot and killed more than 30 Pakistani Christians, and injured several more in attacks on church targets following the US-led military action against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan that began after the 11 September 2001 terror attacks on the United States

Of Pakistan's estimated 168 million people, 97 percent are Muslims, and fewer than 3 percent are Christians.

Anto Akkara, ENI