|
Christians seek protection after extremist threats
Christians living in a town beset by pro-Taliban militants sought government protection on Wednesday, a day before the expiry of an ultimatum warning them to convert.About 500 Christians in Charsadda, a town in NWFP, received threatening letters earlier this month telling them to close their churches and convert to Islam by May 17 or face bomb explosions. Community leaders say several Christians have fled the town and others are living in fear. Chaudhry Salim, a Christian leader in Charsadda, said police had not taken the threat seriously. Police say someone is joking with us by writing these letters, Salim told a news conference here. They have deployed only two policemen at our churches...this is the kind of security we are getting now. Shahbaz Bhatti, a prominent Christian leader and head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said the provincial government, which is controlled by a coalition of pro-Taliban religious parties, would be blamed for any attacks after the deadline. Bhatti also urged Muslim religious scholars to condemn the authors of the threat and said the federal government should take concrete steps to provide protection to Christians. Asif Daudzai, a spokesman for the provincial government, asked Christians not to panic, saying authorities were doing all they could to ensure their protection. Christians are our brothers and sisters, and we will not allow any one to harm them, he told the Associated Press. Posted by: Fred 2007-05-17 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=188553 |