Pak Human Rights Commission condemns murder of two Christian youths

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the shocking murder of two Christian brothers outside a court in Faislabad.

A statement issued by the HRCP said the killing of Rashid Emmanuel and his brother Sajid highlights government's failure to protect its citizens, especially the minorities.

"The killing of Sajid and Rashid Emmanuel who were in police custody on blasphemy charges on the court premises and the escape of the attackers in scandalous to say the least. It is also a sad reflection on the state's obligation to protect the lives of all citizens," The Daily Times quoted the statement, as stating.

Unidentified gunmen had shot dead both Emmanuel and Sajid, and also left their police escort critically wounded, as they were leaving the court after a hearing earlier this week.

Both men were arrested earlier this month along with some others on charges of igniting religious hatred by distributing sacrilegious pamphlets.

A senior church official in Faisalabad, James Aftab, said that the men had been "implicated in a fake case."

Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti blamed the local mosques in Faislabad for the attack on the two brothers.

"I personally don't think that anyone who wrote blasphemous things would put their names on the bottom," Bhatti had said earlier.


(2010-07-21/ANI)