CHRISTIANS DEMAND JUSTICE FROM PUNJAB PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAHORE 000204 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF PK SUBJECT: CHRISTIANS DEMAND JUSTICE FROM PUNJAB PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT REF: (A) LAHORE 158; (B) LAHORE 162; (C) LAHORE 165 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. On October 5, Christian villagers from Gojra made a show of rejecting USAID winterization kits and demanded justice after Muslim mobs burned houses in two Christian villages in August, killing eight people. Frustrated by the release on bail of a man arrested in connection with the attacks and angry at the Punjab provincial government, Gojra Christians attempted to use the media presence at a distribution event to air their grievances against the Punjab government. End Summary. --- Background --- ¶2. (SBU) On July 31 approximately 400 Muslims attacked Korian village, Gojra Tehsil, Toba Tek Singh district, central Punjab province, in retaliation for alleged desecration of the Quran. The mob set fire to and destroyed 51 houses. A similar mob attacked Gojra Christian Colony, Gojra village, the following day, ransacking and burning 68 homes and killing eight people, according to Faisalabad Commissioner Tahir Hussain. According to Aman Ullah Khan, District Coordination Officer (DCO),Toba Tek Singh District, the Punjab government established two relief camps after the attacks with medical facilities for the victims. They provided 500,000 Pakistani Rupees (USD 6,100) to the families of the deceased and 100,000 Pakistani Rupees (USD 1,200) to 149 other affected families, most of whom lost their homes. Reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts by the provincial government total 190 million Pakistani Rupees (USD 2.3 million) for the two affected communities. At a cost of 3 million Pakistani Rupees (USD 36,500),Punjab government provided cooked food to all families for the first month after the attacks. At the request of the communities, it now provides dry rations to the affected families, according to the Faisalabad Commissioner. District officials noted that they had compensated a Muslim family for the death of a man in retaliatory violence by members of the Christian community. They were convinced that the dead man had nothing to do with the violence against the Christians. --- Provincial Representatives Provide Update on Relief --- ¶3. (SBU) On October 5 Principal Officer (PO) and others from Consulate Lahore met with religious and political leaders in Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh districts, Punjab province. Literacy Secretary Haseeb Athar, assigned by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to assist the district administration with rehabilitation activities, informed us that reconstruction of destroyed homes is 75 percent complete. He estimated reconstruction of affected homes will be complete by the end of October. Members of the villages whose homes were not part of the initial survey have requested new homes, some going to the extreme of destroying their current homes, according to Athar. His team identified eight additional homes in Korian and 38 in Gojra for a second phase of reconstruction that will begin when funds become available. Two representatives of the Christian League of Pakistan, including dual nationals Anjum Bhatti and "Bishop" Jonathan Rehmat, participated in a lunch hosted by the Faisalabad Commissioner. Bhatti had hung banners welcoming the consulate delegation at the lunch venue, and pulled aside the PO for pictures in front of the banner. Rehmat demanded the PO take the provincial government to task for ongoing insults against the Christian community. Rehmat claimed reparations paid to the family of the Muslim man killed in retaliatory violence were particularly vile. The Commissioner and Local Governance Minister responded somewhat heatedly. Roman Catholic Bishop for Faisalabad defused the situation by saying a blessing over the lunch. - - - Justice, Not Aid - - - ¶4. (SBU) USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance provided 149 winterization kits that included blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and kitchen supplies for distribution to affected families at Gojra Catholic Church on October 5. Representatives from each affected family, provincial and LAHORE 00000204 002 OF 002 district governments as well as Christian and Muslim leaders participated. As Dost Muhammad Khosa, Local Government Minister and representative of the Chief Minister, spoke, members of the crowd stood up and started to demand justice. Several held banners that said, in English, "Give us Justice, Not Aid" and "Stop the massacre of Christians in Pakistan" while chanting slogans against the provincial government. Note: It is unusual for villagers to communicate in anything other than their regional language. The Commissioner and we noticed that the protestors' banners were identical in color and lettering to the banners Bhatti displayed earlier at the lunch venue. End Note. ¶5. (SBU) The crowd remained quiet while the PO spoke and began the gift distribution. Ten families, five from Gojra Christian Colony and five from Korian village, were identified by the Faisalabad Commissioner to receive representative kits, which included a box of kitchen supplies. During the distribution, a large crowd gathered, trying to get on the stage and chanting slogans against the Punjab government. As PO was handing over the tenth representative box, someone from the crowd threw a box into the distribution area. At that point, provincial government leaders and we left Gojra Catholic Church, unable to distribute the kits as planned. The pastor of the church and Bishop of Faisalabad were mortified by the scene, and have since apologized to us, blaming "outsiders" for misleading their flock. - - - Comment: Different Agendas at Play, Tensions Remain - - - ¶6. (SBU) Christian community members tried to take advantage of the media presence to criticize the Punjab government's handling of this incident and possibly to leverage greater assistance. The English-language banners, drawn by the same hand responsible for Bhatti's Christian League of Pakistan banners, were circumstantial evidence that Bhatti was working with the protestors. Despite reconstruction efforts and continued assistance by the Punjab provincial government, Gojra Christians want reassurances that the government will prevent future attacks. The protestors' attempt to serve their larger agenda backfired. The assembled journalists, photographers and video cameramen focused on the Christians' disruption of the event, which culminated in a few men throwing and stomping on boxes, before walking away with blankets and other assistance goods. Post will continue to urge the provincial government to bring the perpetrators to justice and monitor reconstruction in Gojra. CONROY