Bishops in Pakistan: Still no justice for young couple burned alive

Bishops in Pakistan say that a recent Supreme Court decision is part of a cycle of injustice for victims of persecution.

Bishops in Pakistan have spoken of their dismay after the country’s Supreme Court quashed the sentences of three men convicted of killing a Christian man and his pregnant wife, who were burned to death after being thrown into a brick kiln.

In interviews with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishops Samson Shukardin and Indrias Rehmat said that the release of the men cleared of killing Shahzad Masih and Shama Bibi formed part of a pattern in which Christians and other minorities are routinely denied justice following violence against them.

The Supreme Court overturned the death sentences of three men, alleging flaws in the evidence and weak prosecution.

Pakistan’s top court went further, dismissing the Punjab Provincial Government’s appeal against the acquittal of 102 people accused of complicity in the atrocities against the young couple.

It was alleged that in November 2014 in Kot Radha Kishan, south of Lahore, a mob acting on accusations of blasphemy severely tortured Shahzad and Shama before burning them alive in a brick kiln.

Police registered a case against hundreds of suspects, of whom five were later sentenced to death, and two were later freed by the Lahore High Court, leaving the three who were acquitted by the Supreme Court last Friday, July 10.

Reacting to the court’s ruling, Bishop Shukardin, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, said: “Shahzad and his wife, Shama, who was pregnant, were thrown into the fire alive.”

“In the end, what is the result of all these efforts towards justice?”

The Bishop of Hyderabad added: “People feel they have no voice – that no one is listening. They cry to be heard.”

Bishop Rehmat of Faisalabad told ACN, “We are deeply disappointed that after 12 years, history has yet again repeated itself – those who have suffered are the ones who suffer yet more discrimination and humiliation.”

Both bishops said the Supreme Court’s decision was just one of many cases of injustice against Christians and other minorities, alleging that often, arrests are quickly made following violent incidents, but that gradually, most, if not all, suspects are released and that those still behind bars are freed, with charges dropped or convictions overturned.

Bishop Rehmat spoke out against a ruling on Monday, July 13 by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad, which sentenced a man to 10 years in prison and acquitted 12 others accused of participating in the August 2023 riots in Jaranwala, Punjab, involving attacks on 26 church buildings and more than 80 Christian homes.

The man was found guilty of using a crane to damage church buildings.

Bishop Rehmat said: “Those accused of carrying out the attacks in Jaranwala are given the benefit of the doubt.”

Predicting that he would be freed within a few years, if not before, the bishop added: “Those who destroy our churches, desecrate our Holy Bibles, and burn our homes are given freedom. On the other hand, those who suffer pain and tragedy are given no hope. They are abandoned.”

Bishop Shukardin highlighted concerns made in a public statement released by the National (Catholic) Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), an advocacy organization, which denounced “a continuing pattern that grants impunity to perpetrators of heinous crimes against religious minorities.”

Speaking to ACN, Bishop Shukardin, who is the NCJP chair, alleged repeated police failure to register cases properly, meaning that courts do not have the evidence needed to bring perpetrators to justice.

He said: “The police are the main people who should produce the evidence. The court will pay attention to what the police say. The reality of what happens is often serious and such cases strongly demand justice but the evidence is weak.”

The bishop said Christians and others are frightened to appeal for justice, fearing reprisals, adding: “Those who say something – their lives are also in danger.”

Bishop Shukardin urged governments in the West to call on Pakistan to uphold religious freedom for all.

He said, “If leading countries in the world were to demand that justice be done, it would make a big difference.

So often, delegations from such countries come and meet with people in Islamabad [the Pakistan capital], but they don’t see the reality on the ground.”

Both bishops thanked ACN for highlighting persecution and discrimination in Pakistan, saying that raising awareness, especially in the West, was crucial in the struggle for justice.

Bishop Rehmat told the charity: “The problem of shining a light on these injustices is something we face. I am grateful that you have taken a few minutes to hear our concerns.”

– John Pontifex