Two Christians who were detained because they distributed Christian literature will appear in court in Jacobabad on Tuesday 30th January, along with others charged with them, according to the Justice and Peace Commission of Pakistan.

Khalid Masih and Nasir Masih were arrested on 11th January after distributing Christian literature and the 'Jesus' film amongst the Christian community in the Railway Christian Colony in Jacobabad. Local Muslims showed interest in receiving the literature that the local Campus Crusade team was distributing.

However the Muslims subsequently took the literature to local Mulvies (religious leaders) Moulana Abdul Ghani Ansari and Moulana Hafiz Mir Mohammad Bunglani, who escalated the issue into a campaign against the entire Christian community of Jacobabad. The two young men were arrested and taken to the District Jail in Jacobabad, where they were reported to have been badly beaten by the police. Their cases were registered under Section 108 of the Pakistan Penal Code. They were held for eight days until a successful bail application was made on 19th January. It is reported that the Christians had to stand bail for Rs 60,000 (around $1,000) to free the two men and avoid the arrest of the other six members of the group.

The Mulvies led a demonstration to the Deputy Commissioner of Jacobabad and the Press Club.

They are pressurising the district and divisional administrations to lodge an FIR (First Information Report) against other Christians, including Pastor Yousaf Masih of Christ Church Jacobabad and Principal Newton of Victor Public Secondary School. A local source reported that the Mulvies have said that if the police do not arrest the two men, they themselves will shoot them dead. At midnight on January 14th shots were fired at the Christian school. The following day, the locks at Christ Church were broken and some of the pastor's personal property was stolen.

The Mulvies published a poster urging Muslims to take their children out of the school because they were being taught from anti-Islamic books and were being given anti-Islamic tapes. The school denies these charges. The Mulvies have called on the Deputy Commissioner to cancel the registration of the school.

Meanwhile local Christians have been unable to see the Deputy Commissioner and are left without protection from the local administration.

CSW is urging that letters of concern be sent to His Excellency Pervez Musharraf, Chief Executive of Pakistan, Chief Executive's Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan (fax: 92-51-927 0205, e-mail: ce@pak.gov.pk) and that copies of the letters should be sent to Gen. (R) Moin Uddin Haider, The Interior Minister, Islamabad, Pakistan (fax: 92-51-9202642), Mian Mohammad Somro, Governor of Sindh, Governor House, Karachi, Pakistan (fax:92-21-9201218) and Pakistani embassies.