A summary of events as shared by Dr. Arif Alvi [Sec General of PTI] as he narrated his conversation with one of his party members who was in Gojra to investigate the horrific incident which involved the killing of seven Christians
A lot of detail has been published in the newspapers today. Brig. (R) Samson Sharaf of PTI visited Gojra yesterday and has met and interviewed a lot of people.
He informs us that the incident started at a wedding reception where there was some misbehaviour by a drunk person. On my query he said it was a Pakistani but on my insistence he just said that the person did not belong to the Christian community but of the majority religion in Pakistan. This person was, as courteously as possible in such a situation, escorted out.
But he and his friends reacted and created a scene and started making allegations. The easiest way to put non-muslims on the defensive in Pakistan is an accusation of blasphemy. It is like Karo Kari where an allegation is enough for criminals to unleash their venom.
Some of the local maulvis were informed and they started inciting the muslims in the area. The reaction was further inflamed by a person Qadeer Awan (who is an official of PML-N) who sent people to Jhang to import activists, some of whom came masked and surrounded the Christian village. There was firing into the village and some christians defending the village by firing in the air to scare away the people. Police was present but took only evasive action and used teargassing. This continued for 5 hours and then busloads of people joined the mob, with the police backing away, ransacked the entire village and burnt six Christians alive and shot dead one.
For more than a day the government did not register an FIR and it the scared Chrisitan community as they felt that this was being done to allow FIR’s to be registered on a blasphemy case despite the fact that the Prime Minister was on record that no such thing had actually happened. Another suspected reason for not having registered an immediate FIR was also the intense involvement of some PML-N people. The community along with the dead bodies protested and blocked the highway.
The FIR was finally registered and the demand of the community was agreed to in naming government officials responsible for their inaction in registering the FIR. I have be told through confirmed sources that the Chief of Army Staff had to use his offices to have this done.
Those responsible should be brought to justice quickly under the anti-terrorism act and given severe examplary punishments to end this game of false accustaions and murder.
Minorities suffer all manner of humiliation through false accusations made under these laws. In the present state, intolerance and violence in Pakistan, the Balsphemy Law is a tool in the hands of extremist elements to settle personal scores against members of religious minorities. The Laws themselves provide non-specific and vague definition of blasphemy, yet blasphemy carries a mandatory death sentence in some cases. There are also serious problems with the mechanisms to implement the Laws. Since the mandatory death sentence was introduced as a result of Amendment Act No. III (1986) to Section 295-C, many innocent people have lost their lives, including some accused persons who had not been brought to trial. For example, Niamat Ahmer, Tahir Iqbal and Manzoor Masih were killed even before the courts could hear the cases registered against them. Some of you would also remember the killing of Jagdish Kumar in Karachi by a violent mob of co-workers in April 2008, dozens took part and hundreds watched. No action has yet been taken or has made news.
According to human rights reports there was no blasphemy involved but a personal incident and enmity, which is usual in all such cases. Urgent action is needed to punish the culprits, including negligent officials is desperately needed to assuage the feelings of our Christain brothers and sisters, and to ensure future quick action if there is any danger of such violence.
Comments
25 responses to “Gojra Incident: Sparked because of a drunkie being bounced out of a wedding”
Surely the person kicked out of the wedding for dis-orderly behaviour is an illigitemate child of the N league.. He should be caught and charged with the murder of the 7 innocent Christains.
I differ from the PTI version of the conclusion. The blasphemy law is not the problem here. The people who burned these christians were not following the law, rather they were taking the law in their hand.
Looks like PTI is recruiting some voters here.
Would the absence of such law make any difference?
Its the truth, police and Govt scare the shit out of people, it doesn’t matter they are christian or Muslims.
MQM had been killing their rivals for past few months. Is there a law, which allowed MQM to kill their rivals? (I shouldn’t say past few months, they have been killing their rivals all the time).
Its not the law, its the corrupt *leaders* we have, who are responsible for every mess. AND PLEASE DON”T TELL ME THAT THESE CORRUPT LEADERS FOLLOW ISLAM ANS THATS WHY WE HAVE THESE PROBLEMS.
The blasphemy law is not the problem here. [Iqbal]
=================
Blasphemy Law is the root cause of all this particularly the rampant use of the same to settle personal score.
“As it was the unanimous demand of the Ulema, Mashaikh and the people, therefore, I have decided to do away with the procedural change in registration of FIR under the blasphemy law” (General Musharraf, Dawn 17.5.2000). How was public opinion determined? No one asked me! Is the reference to ulema and mashaikh to the self-proclaimed ones or men and women of Islamic learning? And did populism prevail over Islam? Why was no attempt made to enter into a debate, or at least a learned Islamic discourse? What was the role of the two ministers (religious affairs and law) who are primarily concerned with this issue? One does not recollect any valuable contribution from these two sources. Reference: NEED TO CHECK MISUSE OF BLASPHEMY LAW (28 May 2000) EDITOR’S NOTE: An article entitled “Need to Check Misuse of Blasphemy Law” by Qazi Faez Isa, was published in DAWN, Karachi, on Sunday, May 28, 2000 http://ecumene.org/INRFVVP/blasphemy.htm
7 – The blasphemy laws were legislated and subsequently made more strict to ensure protection to the minorities. But some recent incidents have shown that even the Muslims were victimized under the present blasphemy law on the complaint of other fellow Muslims. The most recent example is provided by gory murder of Yusuf Kizab in the Kot Lakhpat Jail by an activist of the banned Sipahe-i-Sahaba. Yusuf had been sentenced to death sentence under the blasphemy laws. The worst example was the suicide of Father John Joseph some four years ago. On the eve of May 6, 1998 Dr Joseph, the Bishop of Faisalabad, committed suicide in front of the Sessions Court, Sahiwal to protest against the death sentence of a Christian Ayub Masih, pronounced by the court under the blasphemy law. Reference: The Impact of The Blasphemy Law by Mohammad Shehzad Issue No.4, September 2002 Copyright © The DAWN Group of Newspapers http://www.sikhspectrum.com/092002/shehzad.htm
For complete detail:
http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/08/christians-persecution-in-pakistan.html
جنگل کی راہ !
وسعت اللہ خان
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/08/si…
اس تناظر میں جب میڈیا فلسطین میں اہلِ یہود کے ہاتھوں مسلمانوں سےہونے والے سلوک پر تشویش کا اظہار کرتا ہے۔ جب مقامی دانشور بوسنیا میں سرب عیسائیوں کی جانب سے مسلمانوں کی نسل کشی کا رقت آمیزحوالہ دیتا ہے۔جب وزارتِ خارجہ بھارتی ریاست گجرات میں ہندو بلوائیوں کے ہاتھوں دو ہزار مسلمانوں کی ہلاکت یاد دلاتی ہے اور جب امام صاحب پوری دنیا میں مسلمانوں سے زیادتی کرنے والوں کے خلاف نگاہیں آسمان کی جانب اٹھا کر خدائی مدد مانگتے ہیں تو جی چاہتا ہے کہ گریبان پھاڑ کر قہقہے لگاتے ہوئے جنگل کی راہ لی جائے۔
very good point of view.i agree to your point of view.and i agree to your thinking
http://daily.urdupoint.com/todayNews.php?date1=20…
President of Muslim League Nawaz Gojra along with local police and civil administration nominated in the FIR. If all things are considered, Muslim League was involved in this and are only shedding alligator tears on the incident once it has come to pass.
Amir Mughal,
Well, then every law in Pakistan is the problem because state and police machinery abuse all the laws.
Back in Paksitan, once an Eagle Squad stopped us at Gulshan Chowrangi and the ASI sitting in the mobile when asked my cousin to hand over his RayBan glasses otherwise he would implicate him of carrying a gun. He then opened the dashboard drawere and showed us the gun. Thus he took away those sun glasses.
And in same context I had seen bengalis kept illegally in Gulshan thana on accounts of stealing.
So its not the law my dear, thats the problem, its the people who implement the law.
I can understand your hate against the blasphemy law, but your reason can very well be used for any law to be abolished too.
Law is not the problem some people took law in teir own hand
Pakistan has become banana republic and Chief of army staff nothing to do with it the case should be brought to the judiciary.
THIS IS CONDEMNABLE TO THE EXTREME
THE CHRISTIANS ARE A RESPECTED MINORITY IN PAKISTAN, AND ALL SUCH ACTS OF TERROR AGAINST THEM ARE A PROPAGANDA BY ALLAH KNOWS WHO.
ISLAM TEACHES MUSLIM RULERS TO SAFEGUARD THE LIVES AND PROPERTIES OF MINORITY CITIZENS…
BUT WAIT!!
Um,
Are our present "rooooolerz" Muslim? Hm….
They're not rulers…
they're faggot roosters…
MAY ALLAH HELP US. AAMEEN!
Why don´t somebody realize the real culprit? PML N in this case? whenever they are in opposition, they try to create unrest in country.firka warana fasadat( the last time when they were in oppostion), aik firkay kai log dosray ko martay, phir dosray pehlay ko. a horrific mazaq ban gaya tha. Thank God musharraf curbed them, but now these hounds of PML N are back in business and look what they are doing and this is just a beginning.O people of pakistan , wake up, bahir walay kuch nai kar saktay jab tak ghar kai log bhi un kai sath shamil na hon,iqtadar kai liyai yai politicians kia nai kar saktay,chup kai gala kattay hain aur phir aa kar lash par ansoo bahatay hain,in sai to musharraf hi behter tha
for Godsake!!!!!!!!!!!
stop it.
7 aadmi kia mar gaey log itna sharminda hen kay bas naheen chal raha kay islam say toba kar len.
Dr Jawwad, agar yahi paimana hai aap ka to phir musalman bhi aafia siddiqui aur uss Egyptian aurat (the one who was murdered in Germany) ke baaray mein choon-choon karna band kar dein.
hi
i am shoaib sharif masih.i live in sahiwal punjab pakistan.
plz pray for GOJRA christan people.i am gonig to GOJRA last days.we stay in GOJRA for two days. douring accidient in GOJRA all cristian {200} houses and seven people was DEATH.
ALL TWO HUNDREAD house all houses death.
muslims murdabad
hi
app kia har waqat islam islam kartay rahtte ho.
aj jo kuch be ho raha ha sub kuch poory dunia ma ho raha ha sub kuch ho raha ka sub kuch muslims log hi karraha hna .yeh tamam dahshatt gardd hna.
hi all comments gojra
plz share
shoaib_amp@hotmail.com
the christion community have been burent in city Gogra in pak ;
Dear in Christ; i want to inform you about the great tragedy ; which was accoured on the midnight of saturday ; they were in deep sleeping ; immidgetely the great crowed of Msulims were in procession came toward the christions community and they burent all the houses of christions; they threw the petrol on the houses ; they begain to crying but nobody came to help them ; consiquentely the women and the chrilderns ; men were burent by the fire; and about ten christions have been killed at the spoot; and others vaiolent people begain to looted the houses ; about 40 houses have been burent by the Muslims; and 100 houses looted ; in this way our christions community have been destryed totely ; and the killed skultens are just lying at that place; all the christions are annocent ; there was no cause to burent them ; now some christion have been saved fortunately ; they are helpless; homeless ; they have no food ; and taking breath in open sky ; they childerns have been lost their parents ; and have been lost every thing they had ;
in these circumstances they are needed help ; i wish to help them through your coopration in time of great trouble; and pain ; they are ugently in need help; thanks; i will be waiting your good response;
SMITH ZULFIQAR FROM PAKISTAN .
i read a comment hear which says "7 aadmi kia mar gaey log itna sharminda hen kay bas naheen chal raha kay islam say toba kar len" it does not matter if 7 people or 1 die ,when people did not do anything after 100s died in world trade center dieing of 7 people is not a matter.
please go ahead and kill in the name of religion.and u will get 72 virgins .(sick concept)
"please go ahead and kill in the name of religion.and u will get 72 virgins .(sick concept)"
oh yes i got it now. do not kill in the name of religion it is a sickening thing….go and kill millions of people on the name of justice,freedom and democracy…..
and good thing is when you kill the people in the name of freedom and justice, no body asks the question.
you can kill thousands of unarmed and innocent women and children in the name of right of defence…no body feels sick.
you can press the button the laser guided bombs tear the bodies apart and a marriage cermony becomes a tragedy and guess what? no body feel sick….
you can torture and detain for unlimited period of time by violating your own rules and no body feel sick.
just do not react on blasphemy because anger on blasphemy is sickening thing…..why??? because our zionist masters feel sick when they see the expression of religious honor.
come on doctor you have proved your self that what a Islamist fanatic can think how sick can he be ,like all the other fanatic you also know only to cry when u r people are hurt not when fanatic like u kill people of other religion.I respect Islam and I respect it when its not hurting others fanatic like you bring a very bad name for u r religion ,my humble request is please dont ever tell any one that u are a true muslim u are not compotent enough and never will be.like all the Islam fanatics even u r mind is F$%ed up, u can not think anything beyond religion ,I pity u r patient I think or are u a vet ,even if u are a vet I pity the animals .
I have a question u only treat animals which as been converted to Islam or what ?
u are a so called dr ,after reading a article about u r neighbor I have a simple ? This article is written by some one from u r country .for me it does not matter who wrote it ,I am ,more concerned about the fact in this article
before just saying that this is not true or saying anything bad about it .can you read this article and then reply ,
or just like a islam fanatic just abuse or say bad about the author and the country ,so read it and enjoy
http://www.fropki.com/about-india-pakistani-write…
Can't we all just get along? I was led to this Gorja story by my penpal in Pakistan, who sent photos; I googled for the backstory. I feel so sad and helpless when I think of the intense hatred unleashed that fateful night. It happens all over the world ~ "Hate Crimes". I've always thought "hate" to be contagious… In the same way, "LOVE" is also contagious… Love your neighbor, Love yourself, Love your enemy. Love everyone and everything, and stop judging "right and wrong". Why can't we all just get along?
look readers one of the most important thing under the muslim rule of law is to take the best care of the minorities…i ve been brought up in a missionary school till a.levels where almost 50%of my friends were christians and we had no issues at all….i visited the churches with them and they equally enjoyed visiting the mosque….the matter of fact is who is doing this….its not u and i….cuz we both r not soo much powerful to resist this alll….its the cream of pakistan…the most humble leaders of ours…..u know wht em trying to say…its an appeal to remain united as a pakistani to resist them ….cuz we ve a lot of other major issues to work on…dont create another problem…its not abt muslims and christians …its abt our homeland pakistan …our future generation which would be facing millions of problems….nations learn from there past to get the future right …u being the next leaders r requested to learn and when u r with the authorities …dont repeat the same…may GOD help us all…
Allah hafix…
Surely valid point & absolutely correct.
hello every body,
iam imran mehmood. and i was living in christian colony which was named as christian street in gojra, i am the eye witness of all of the incident, it was that some boys came in colony and have with them guns, sticks and fires, they were loudly shouting that they will finish non muslims because non muslims have done blossmassy, because i was living there in colony i know every one muslims and non muslims both, i requested them to have patience and te agencies will take this matter. you should calm down but they did not ready to hear even one word and after ten minutes thousands of people attacked on colony, they burnt every thing, they are also after my life because i have tried to stop them, now iam wondering here and there to save my life but government is silent on this act,
yes we know some muslims are in trouble because they help the people there, but dont worry evry one will get reward from god,