Can I ask you a question? Is life hard for you? Can you imagine the pain of losing your home, books, school bags, freedom and dreams all together? If you don't know then look to Jaranwala town in Faisalabad, Pakistan, where destroyed churches, vandalised crosses and burnt bibles display the price of having a different faith that is simply beyond imagination.
When do we have a moral obligation to intervene in the unspeakable destruction of human rights? Don't you feel that the hopes to reboot religious freedom in Pakistan are dying?
In a single day on 17 August, more than twenty churches and hundreds of Christian homes were set on fire after public announcements were made from mosques to reach the site following an alleged incident of blasphemy. Consequently, people started gathering in Jaranwala, turning into an angry mob that sparked a series of violent attacks on Christians. Unfolding scenes on TV screens unveiled how hundreds of people armed with rods and sticks looted property from Christian houses and then used flammable liquids to set them on fire.
This horror story has visited every house of the Christian town in Jaranwala, and will haunt many Christian towns for years to come. It is so sad that Pakistan is not a kinder nation anymore!
I saw with tears in my eyes how the mob desecrated holy Bibles and crosses. They ruined the church buildings and graveyards, just three days after Pakistan's 76th Independence Day. On 14 August 1947, Pakistan's founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah set forth the goal of a tolerant, progressive and inclusive Pakistan. In his address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, he said, "People may belong to any religion, or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state." Regrettably religious identity has become a brand factor in today's Pakistan that determines which citizen is more equal than others in terms of rights, status and opportunities.
17 August will always be remembered as a "black day" in the history of Pakistan which has left Christians heartbroken, frustrated and hopeless.
Piles of rubble, broken furniture and ashes of belongings; these are what remain of the victims in Jaranwala who are overwhelmed by a sense of rage, despair and fear in their beloved country. Those who have lived through this nightmare are sharing stories.
I think of a Christian mother who told me a mob looted the dowry of her daughter who was getting married soon. She is badly failed by the system. I think of an eight year old Christian boy whose books and school bag were burnt and he can't go to school anymore. The school was everything to him.
Another victim told how the mob not only looted their animals but also their future. I see victims wailing in the streets, mourning all that they have lost to religious belligerence just because of having a different faith. These scars are the scars that will never heal.
I have long feared for the country of my birth. What kind of country has it become now?
Of the many unanswered questions surrounding the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), and one of the most demanding, is what can be done when governments and laws fail altogether to protect religious diversity?
For me, the Jaranwala incident conjures an image of a fractured justice system, the anaemic rule of law, and an ocean of impunity. And you will find that constitutional guarantees and promises have failed to end the brutality towards different faith groups.
On 21 August, Pakistani Christians across the UK held a peaceful protest in front of the Pakistan Embassy in London to urge Pakistani authorities to arrest the perpetrators of Jaranwala riots and ensure the safety of Christians and other faith communities. Many have raised their concerns that growing intolerance and religious violence is pushing Christians into early graves of torment and grief. Meanwhile, the government of Pakistan has failed to fulfil its "duty of care".
Whether it's the issue of forced conversion or to stop the misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan through a range of legislatives measures or policy reforms, our dreams are moving further out of reach every year. The dedication and commitment of the executive and legislators to ensure the safety of both Christians and other faith communities without ratifying the Minority's Rights or Protection Bills will always be a lethal strategy. Today the real question posed by many faith groups including Shias, Hindus and Sikhs is: who cares?
And what is upsetting is that Pakistan's parliament has always botched things up when it comes to reinforcing the much needed legislation that ensures the rights and safety of religious minorities. Traditionally, the government has failed to promote the importance of religious freedom through the school curriculum, dialogue or the effective parliamentary representation of religious minorities.
It is heart-breaking that religious freedom isn't only missing from schools but also gradually evaporating from the minds of people.
Acquainted with harsh realities of inequality and injustice, I have struggled to see the rule of law or the justice system in Pakistan during Jaranwala violence. This adds further national shame to the museum of the Pakistani government's historical incompetence which has failed to safeguard Christians. Crossing fingers and hoping for good is barely a sensible way to tackle the present calamities, but it is a strategy that everyone seems determined to follow now.
It's worse than embarrassing that Pakistan has one of the worst levels of religious persecution in the world, and is failing on its (FoRB) commitments. Of course, the Jaranwala incident is a dress rehearsal for how Pakistan is expected to deal with the religious freedom crisis in years to come.
Emerging testimonies suggest that the tentacles of theocratic bodies with the power to provoke mobs have been functioning in Pakistan for a long time now without challenge. After Jaranwala, it seems they are here to stay.
