We present the following article (lightly edited and slightly abridged) from Nazir Bhatti of the Pakistan Christian Congress.
The forgotten Pakistani Christian Martyrs. By Nazir Bhatti
We are observing the 15th anniversary of Martyr Feroz Masih,
who was killed by Karachi Police firing in front of Governor House on February
13, 1997, during a peaceful protest procession against a Muslim mob attack on a
Christian village, Shanti Nagar in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Amidst clouds of tear gas shelling and police
firing on Christian protestors, hundreds were rendered unconscious, dozens were
injured, whilst nine received bullet injuries and more than 1,000 were
arrested. Feroz Masih was among those nine critical bullet wounded Christian
who were rushed to JPMC Hospital where he died with his one hand fastened to
his bed in a police hand cuff.
Feroz Masih was not any politician or Church leader or an
activist of any foreign funded non- government organization, or any political
party leader or any federal minister in government or any tool of the Pakistan
establishment, but an honest Christian who had a passion for the oppressed
Christian nationals in Pakistan and love for his fellow brothers who were
victimized in village of Shanti Nagar - hundreds of miles away from his home in
Karachi. Feroz Masih had never ever met any of the suffering Christians of
Shanti Nagar, nor was he hoping for their votes to seek any public office in
the national assembly or provincial assembly or any district council, but still
he felt their pain and took to the streets on February 13, 1997, to ensure
justice and basic equal democratic rights in Pakistan for which he sacrificed
his life.
In the sub-continent of India, the word “Martyr” has a very
particular definition. The courageous person who sacrifices his life for the values
of religion or the rights of a community secures very unique respect and the
honour of being a “Hero” in society, thus becoming part of history. The
generations pay tributes to the sacrifices of “Martyrs” and celebrate their
anniversaries to remember them.
Whenever, a nation is in crisis, their martyrs become a ray
of hope and success to launch a new campaign to successfully resolve issues,
but nations which forget their martyrs have always faced failure - as history
records.
There is a line of Pakistani Christian martyrs who
sacrificed their precious lives for the rights of millions of Christians in the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Christians who faced police baton charges,
tear gas shells, gunfire on the streets at their protests and rallies against the
injustices of government, or who faced prison sentences after arrests during processions
are “True Hero’s” - but those who faced persecution or victimization under
controversial Islamic laws are also our “Hero”.
It is a black mark on our record that we have forgotten the Martyrdom
of Bishop John Joseph, who was mysteriously murdered by secret agencies of
Pakistan on May 6, 1998, in Sahewal city in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
Martyr Bishop John Joseph was the Catholic Bishop of the Faisalabad Diocese who
led rallies and participated in hunger strikes against the blasphemy laws as
well as raising a voice for oppressed Pakistani Christians on International
forums. There were gatherings and prayers on the anniversary of Martyr Bishop
John Joseph organized by the Catholic Church of Pakistan and socio-political
organizations funded by him up to the year 2002. Now years have passed and no
organization has bothered to issue any press release on the anniversary of
Bishop John Joseph’s martyrdom.
Nawaz Masih and James Masih were the first Christian Martyrs
of modern Pakistan - they were killed by Police in Rawalpindi who opened fire
on a peaceful protest procession of Christians protesting against the nationalization
of missionary Schools, Hospitals and Colleges during the ZA Bhutto government
in 1972. This protest procession went out from Gordon College Rawalpindi and
marched towards Governor House to present a memorandum against the nationalization
of Christian institutions.
Like Martyr Feroz Masih, Martyr Nawaz Masih and Martyr James
Masih were also not Bishops or high profile Christian leaders but common laymen
who had a love for the Christian people in Pakistan. The families of Nawaz
Masih and James Masih were not supported by any Christian political groups or indeed
the Bishops, who had been enjoying benefits of Christian institutions and
living like feudal lords. It is very unfortunate that no Christian clergy or
associations have ever celebrated or marked anniversary of these Martyrs.
There are Martyrs of Essa Nagri in Karachi, who laid down
their lives defending Christian children and women when the Muslim land mafia
attacked this, the largest Christian colony in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
These two martyrs of Essa Nagri have graves in the Awami Church of this colony
and people pay homage and offer prayers by their graves.
We must not forget, but instead honour those Christians who
were killed by extremist Muslim groups on accusations of blasphemy with the
name of “Martyrs”; they sacrificed their lives to ensure basic democratic
rights through the political process and protested on the streets of Pakistan
against a regime controlled by the Muslim majority.
Let us remember Tahir who was killed in Lahore jail awaiting
trial on blasphemy charges, Bantu Masih who was stabbed to death in the lockup
of Lahore police whilst held on blasphemy charges, Manzoor Masih who was gunned
down in front of Lahore High Court when coming out after the court heard the
case of blasphemy, and the Rashid Brothers who were murdered in Faisalabad
Court House when they came to face blasphemy charges under police protection,
along with other Christian victims of blasphemy accusations who were killed in
jails or on the streets of our nation.
When we commemorate Pakistani Christian Martyrs, it is very
important to remember the Martyrs of Gojra city in Punjab. In this horrible
incident on August 1st, 2009, a Muslim mob attacked the Christian Town in Gojra
city and burnt alive seven people - children, women and the elderly. It is also
very sad to note that no Christian group, clergy or Christian parliamentarian
have marked the anniversary of these Gojra Martyrs in 2011.
Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minority Minister, was assassinated
on March 2, 2011, in our capital city Islamabad. The banned outfit Tehreek
Talban Punjab claimed responsibility for killing Shahbaz Bhatti and warned of
the same fate for anyone who comments on blasphemy law. As a federal minority Minister Shahbaz Bhatti
had announced plans to revise the blasphemy statutes to prevent its misuse
against religious communities – plans which were disliked by Pakistan’s extremist
Muslim groups.
So, let us pay homage to all our Christian Martyrs, and let
us also keep remembering their sacrifices in the future to prove that we are
not a dead but an alive nation, as well as to appeal to 20 million Pakistani
Christians to not forget these Heroes”
