In response to the recent attacks on churches and Christian communities in the wake of an alleged blasphemy incident in Punjabs Jaranwala town, the Islamabad police have formed a dedicated Minority Protection Unit (MPU) comprising 70 police personnel to ensure the safeguarding of minority places of worship and communities within the region.Announcing the formation of the MPU, the police stated on X, “Seventy jawans (policemen) have been posted in the Minority Protection Unit.”مینارٹی پروٹیکشن یونٹ میں 70 جوان تعینات کردیے گئے۔تمام ڈی پی اوز اپنے علاقہ میں اقلیتی عبادتوں گاہوں اور آبادیوں کی حفاظت کے ذمہ دار ہوں گے۔ ہر ڈویژن کی سطح پر اقلیتی کمیٹیوں سے رابطوں کو مضبوط بنایا جائے گا۔مینارٹی پروٹیکشن یونٹ ایس ایس پی آپریشنز کی زیر نگرانی فرائض سر…— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) August 17, 2023This initiative comes just a day after a violent mob vandalised and set fire to several churches and targeted residences belonging to the Christian community in the Faisalabad district. The incident prompted nationwide condemnation, with political parties, civil society, and the media expressing their outrage. The Punjab government has also reacted by establishing a high-level inquiry committee to thoroughly investigate the incident, in alignment with the directive of the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwaarul Haq Kakar.The Islamabad police highlighted in their statement that the Minority Protection Unit has been set up based on recommendations from the National Minorities Commission. Under the MPUs framework, district police officers will take responsibility for the protection of minority places of worship and communities within their respective jurisdictions.Furthermore, the police said that stronger liaison with minority committees will be established at the divisional level to facilitate effective communication and coordination. The unit will operate under the supervision of the senior superintendent of police (operations).Recently, the United States also expressed concern over the attacks on churches. In a statement, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department mentioned, “We are deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan. Violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression.”Amnesty condemns church attacks in Pakistan, calls for repeal of blasphemy lawsAmnesty International called on the authorities to ensure the protection of the minority Christian community and hold those responsible for the attacks accountable.Rehab Mahamoor, interim regional researcher for South Asia at Amnesty International, said, “The Pakistani authorities must urgently ensure the protection of the minority Christian community in Jaranwala is [in] accordance to their needs and wishes and that those found responsible for the arson and attacks on Churches and homes are held accountable. Such attacks add to the climate of discrimination and fear for religious minorities.”Pakistan: Authorities must ensure protection of minority Christian communityhttps://t.co/HT6CGG0bWx— Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office (@amnestysasia) August 17, 2023She further criticised the continued existence of blasphemy laws, stating that they have been misused to target marginalised individuals and create an environment conducive to human rights violations.“Pakistani authorities need no more evidence to see how dangerous the blasphemy laws are. The broad, vague and coercive nature of the blasphemy laws violate the human rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and freedom of expression. They have long been misused to target some of the most marginalized people in society. The blasphemy laws should be repealed as a matter of urgency and in the meantime, the authorities should put in place effective safeguards against their abuse. By ignoring the longstanding call to repeal the blasphemy laws and instead strengthen them by attempting to increase the punishment under such laws, Pakistani authorities continue to create a permissive environment for human rights violations,” she said.
