Qaiser Felix

The Pakistan Christian National Party wants Art 42 of the constitution dropped because it sets the Office of the President aside for Muslims alone. Should its request me turned down, it plans to take the case to an international court.

The police fails to intervene, while the families fall into the hands of unscrupulous go betweens.

As Pakistan celebrates 60 years since independence from the United Kingdom, thousands of people from minority communities demand equal rights, appealing to the vision of the Father of the nation, Ali Jinnah. Former Prime Minister Bhutto says country is in great need for a “voice against religious intolerance.”

The Christian community of Peshawar has received anonymous letters, demanding they convert to Islam under the threat of suicide attacks. The episode is denounced by a deputy from the National Assembly. Similar threats are made in Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province.

Punjab: after 10 years of work for a landlord who beat him and his family, Sadiq Masih quits; but his employer is unforgiving. The victim’s lawyer warns: Sadiq’s assassins are now threatening his entire family and those who help organise his funeral.

The text, in an improved user-friendly version, was introduced across the country in a series of religious events. The Church in Pakistan celebrated the publication, inviting the faithful to “welcome the Word of God, into their hearts and homes”.

The ‘All Pakistan Minorities Alliance’ is organising a rally for August 11 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination minorities suffer. About 100,000 Christians and people from other confessions are expected.

Police have intervened to quash fundamentalists who took control of the mosque this morning chasing out the government-appointed imam and expelling journalists. A suicide bomber blew himself up in an Islamabad hotel killing at least 12 people.

Through the art of the “beautiful script,” he speaks to the world about his faith in Jesus, whom he thinks about when he creates his works of art.

A wave of violence sweeps the country. In one incident 17 soldiers died in a Taliban ambush near the Afghan border. In the capital suicide bomber kills 16 people.

A weekend of blood in three attacks against the military and the police in the North. The Taliban, in a leaflet declare a reprisal in hostilities. The army reinforces the area in fear of a “holy war”. A priest on the ground shares his thoughts

The archbishop of Lahore and chairman of the Pakistani Bishops’ Conference, Mgr Saldanha, urged the government to take decisive action to prevent further outbreaks of violence like yesterday’s clashes outside the “Red Mosque” of the capital.