In the Punjab village near Khanewal, minority Pakistan Christians are being persecuted over the marriage between a Christian man and Muslim woman in the village in October 2014.   According to a report by Christians in Pakistan (CIP), minority Christians have been forced to flee their home due to threats.   CIP reports that “since the secret of this marriage was revealed the couple no longer lives in the village and have fled” and that extremists opposed to the Muslim woman’s marriage to the Christian man, attacked the husband’s  family’s home as well as the homes of other Christians in the area.  CIP reports that there have been death threats against the village Christians.   CIP also reports that “Seeing the gravity of the incident, the Christians are pleading for protection from the local police, but so far police has provided no protection or assistance to them. A Police official, from the Shahkot police said, ‘We have not arrested anyone yet due to the sensitive nature of this case. We will not take any further steps before undergoing a thorough investigation.’ ”

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) calls for the rule of law and end to such mob terrorist behavior against Pakistan Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan.  R.E.A.L. supports our Universal Human Rights for all people, including the freedom of religion, equality, security, and dignity, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the  International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),

Pakistan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)ratified as of June 23, 2010, as well as a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Religious oppression of minorities in Pakistan is in direct contradiction to its international agreement of ICCPR Article 18, which includes “1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”

We urge all – in Pakistan and around the world – to be responsible for equality and liberty.