Islamabad (AsiaNews) Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha, chairman of National Commission of Justice and Peace (NCJP), in an interview with AsiaNews condemned the government of Pakistan for turning passports into 'religious documents'. For this reason, he wrote a letter of protest to the country's President, General Pervez Musharraf.
In a press statement, Archbishop Saldanha and the NCJP executive secretary, Peter Jacob, declare that the decision contradicts the government's claim that it stands for moderation.
"The decision," they write, "reflects [the fact] that the government is not acting on principle but is yielding to pressure from extremists. It is sad that the religious minorities in the country were not consulted and their concerns were not taken into account."
Nisar Barkat, NJCP director in the diocese of Faisalabad, told AsiaNews that Pakistani passports are no longer normal travel documents when they have a reference to the holder's religion. This is step backward with respect to fundamental freedoms.
For Johnson Michel, chairman of the Bishop John Joseph Shaheed Trust, in Pakistan everything is seen from a religious perspective and this is preventing the development of a united national consciousness.
"In the past, under the leadership of the late Bishop John Joseph, we were against a religion column in people's identity cards. Now we shall do the same for passports," he said.
"This is not the first time that the Pakistani government buckles under the pressure of Islamic extremists. It will inevitably influence Pakistan's relations to other countries," he added.
"For the moment, the situation worries us because I am convinced the extremists will keep up their pressure on other issues as well since the government has given in on several of their demands."
Still, Mr Michel is urging Christian groups and political parties to back President Musharraf's 'enlightened moderation' so that he can better fight the religious extremism that is affecting the whole country.