An 18-day sit-in to say that Jaranwala is still waiting for justice
Two years after the dramatic assault on the Christian neighbourhood of Faisalabad that sowed violence and destruction, the local community has launched the longest public protest by a minority in Pakistan's history. Lala Robin Daniel tells AsiaNews: ‘Criminal complaints have fallen on deaf ears, and after promises of compensation, the Punjab government is now ignoring us. Without answers, we will boycott the upcoming by-elections.’
Faisalabad (AsiaNews) - Eighteen days of protesting, praying and demanding justice two years after the wave of violence by Islamic fundamentalists that on 16 August 2023 sowed terror in Jaranwala, the neighbourhood where Christians live in Faisalabad, burning houses and churches on false accusations of blasphemy. The sit-in held until the other day in Jaranwala was the longest in the history of minorities in Pakistan. A visible sign of how much this wound still remains open. AsiaNews interviewed Lala Robin Daniel, human rights defender and one of the leaders of this protest, to learn about the reasons and ways in which the battle for justice will now continue.
Why did you organise the sit-in in Jaranwala?
"In 2023, when the Jaranwala tragedy occurred, 23 criminal complaints were filed against the perpetrators: 18 by private citizens and 5 by the state. In total, 26 churches and hundreds of homes were burned and looted by fundamentalists. But since then, no proper investigation has been conducted by state institutions. They have not even met with the people affected. Nothing has been done to provide them with help.‘
Has the state arrested those responsible?
’More than 5,000 people were named in the complaints. To date, only one person is still in prison, while all the others have been released on bail."
The state had promised full cooperation with the victims' families. Has the damage suffered been compensated?
‘A deeply flawed estimate of the damage was made, without even meeting with those affected. The then interim governor's promise of full compensation for the damage has not been kept. They have not even properly renovated the churches, as promised.’
What are the demands of the people of Jaranwala now?
"People are dissatisfied. During the sit-in, local government officials asked us to end it, but we refused because they do not have the authority to solve our problems. We want a written agreement between a guarantor - a minister of the Punjab government - and our Jaranwala victims' committee, composed of 15 people, including, of course, the bishop of Faisalabad. Without this, there will be no compromise.‘
Why, then, did you stop the sit-in?
’We only suspended it temporarily because some federal ministers and institutions assured us of their full cooperation. They guaranteed us daily updates on progress in Jaranwala. But if we don't see concrete developments, we will organise sit-ins in other cities in Punjab. Now they must show us tangible results: we will no longer accept just fine words.‘
What was the reaction of the people?
’It was the longest sit-in organised by a minority community in the history of Pakistan. It lasted 18 days. From children to the elderly, everyone actively participated: we sang hymns, prayed, gave speeches and shouted slogans for justice. Civil society organisations, priests, nuns and even some Muslim leaders joined us in solidarity. On the seventh day, Bishop Indrias Rehmat came to support us, expressing deep compassion for the affected families and emphasising that justice for the victims of Jaranwala is essential, assuring us of his full support."
And now, what are the next steps?
“With the Minority Rights Movement, we have decided to fight for justice and find ways to protect our people from fundamentalists and extremists. During the sit-in, civil society and the churches supported us, but the members of our Provincial Assembly showed no interest. The Punjab government remained indifferent; its attitude towards the people of Jaranwala was hurtful and disrespectful. The provincial minister for human rights and minorities never visited this place and completely ignored the demand for justice. That is why we have decided to boycott the by-elections in Punjab, scheduled for the coming weeks. We must demonstrate our strength as citizens and as voters. In areas where the minority vote is decisive, candidates make promises just to get our vote, but then they forget about us. Now they will have to prove their loyalty to Jaranwala and take concrete measures to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.
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