Kamran Chaudhry

On March 8 the ESL study was presented. In the country 44% of children between six and 16 years have no access to education, while the illiteracy rate is 59.98%. The funds for schools are limited, as opposed to those destined to military spending. The teaching of the Koran is required. Activist: "Children must go to school and not to work at home."

Muhammad Iqbal is suing his former employer who exploited him for little money. In Pakistan, 2.3 million people work in slave-like conditions. It is common practice to pay off parents’ debt with child labour. About 65 per cent of bonded labourers are Christian.

Federal authorities decided to join seven tribal areas to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. British-era rules are still enforced in the area. The government plans to invest a billion dollars. For Lutheran bishop, “locals have been neglected” and “it will be long time before they truly understand the notion of nation”.

Tomorrow is the final of the Pakistan Super League. Five local teams will take part in the league. Tickets cost over 100 Euros. Sports, key to overcoming divisions among the population, in defiance of terrorism.

Local parishes are preparing for the period before Easter. In Hyderabad funds have been raised to help widows and their children. In Lahore, buses will take volunteers to visit the sick. In Karachi, catechism students, seniors, and children will take part in activities.

The latest is the eighth incident of violence in ten days. The bomb exploded in the city's commercial district, inside a building under construction. There are fears that some workers are still trapped under the rubble. A number of shops, banks and restaurants were also damaged. No one has yet claimed responsibility. There is little hope for a new military operation against the extremists.

The suicide attack caused 75 deaths, including 20 children, and over 200 injured. Islamabad imposed a crackdown on terrorism and closes the border with Afghanistan. Catholics fear violence even against the churches. Tomorrow will a youth march in Karachi.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a group linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, is responsible for the attack on the Punjab Assembly, whose death toll rose to 14 victims. Christian, Sikh, and Muslim places of worship are not Taliban targets as long as they keep their distance from the government.

A suicide bomber blew himself up in front of the Punjab Assembly. The attack was claimed by the Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. It is the same extremist group which last year hit a gathering of Christians during the celebrations for Easter. Archbishop prays for the families of the victims and the wounded.

The philanthropic foundation runs Pakistan’s largest network of ambulances, orphanages and drug rehab centres. In 2016, its ambulances carried more than 67,000 patients. the Foundation also transported 994 bodies, and buried 296 unclaimed dead people. Caritas calls on the government to support such initiatives.

Pakistan’s parliament passes law that punishes sectarianism, lynching and false accusations that lead to wrongful convictions. Now the bill awaits the president’s approval. Christian activist praises the effort to curb terrorism. Leader of an Islamist group defends the blasphemy law.

In 2013 the Joseph Colony was set on fire. A crowd of 3 thousand Muslims wanted to avenge an alleged blasphemy. Christian lawyer warns of risk retaliation in sponsoring cases of religious persecution. Leaders of Punjab have "great alliances with jihadist groups".