Shafique Khokhar

Organizations against the exploitation of children protested demanding the cessation of the practice and the establishment of the right to education. In the country of 7.3 million young people are out of school and are employed in hazardous work.

Yaqoob Masih is accused of burning a book containing verses from the Qur‘an, which he had borrowed from a Muslim spiritual healer. A group of people beat him up and then dragged him to the local the police station. The local Christian community is now living under threat.

A foundation set up last November organises courses to help those who lost everything in the 2013 attack against the All Saints Church. Those who pass the final exam, get a diploma and a sewing machine to start working right away and lead a “dignified life”.

The attackers belong to the local mafia that sells drugs and alcohol, known for grabbing land belonging to religious minorities. A member of the parish’s executive committee complains about corrupt local police. The National Commission for Justice and Peace organised a meeting seeking an agreement with all parties.

The National Commission for Justice and Peace (MCJP) of the Catholic Church of Pakistan has surveyed many textbooks used in Punjab provincial schools. In order to stop religious extremism and promote peace, schools must be the starting point.

In Odisha, the Office for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops' Conference looked at the effects of heavy mining on indigenous communities. For an Adivasi leader, “tribal cultures die when their peoples are forced to leave their lands."

Since February, "unknown extremists" have threatened Javed David, of the ‘Hope for the Light Ministries’. Since 2013, he and his associates have been helping poor Christian communities build places of worship.

History courses for grade 8, 10 and 11 students will contain references to the role Christians, Hindus and Sikhs played in building the country after independence. The successful changes to the curriculum is the work of the Pakistan Minorities Teachers' Association (PMTA). Excerpts from the first speech to the country’s Constituent Assembly by Pakistan founder Ali Jinnah, with references to freedom of religion and equality between citizens, will be included as well.

At the international meeting on "Peace and reconciliation in the Asian context ", being held in Bangkok, the Pakistani delegate lays out guidelines for the Islamabad government: if you do not respect the rule of law, protect minorities and really fighting extremism, the country is doomed to destruction. The blasphemy law, a product of collusion between political and religious circles that must be eliminated as soon as possible.

The decision by provincial authorities is backed by many human rights organisations. In his address to Pakistan’s first Constituent Assembly, the founder said, “Minorities, to whichever community they may belong, will be safeguarded. Their religion or faith or belief will be secure. There will be no interference of any kind with their freedom of worship. They will have their protection with regard to their religion, faith, their life, their culture. They will be, in all respects, the citizens of Pakistan without any distinction of caste or creed.”

Members of both communities, along with social activists, take part in a peaceful demonstration. The police has to arrest 18 people for the lynching of two Muslims. For a Muslim cleric, "Christians are not only a religious minority in this country, but are our brothers."

The death toll rose to 17. Manifestations of solidarity take place across Pakistan. In Faisalabad, rights activists call for greater protection for Christian settlements, property and places of worship.