On the frontline: Pakistan

Stuart Windsor, CSWs Special Ambassador, shares his mixed feelings on returning from a visit to Pakistan earlier this year.

I made yet another visit to Pakistan in May this year, one of many over 21 years at CSW. There were tears of happiness at being in this wonderful country again, and at being back with very close friends like Michelle Chaudhry who are really now family members. There were also tears of sadness: no more will we see the smiling faces of Shahbaz Bhatti and Cecil Chaudhry, wonderful Christians who were the voice for the voiceless in Pakistan. Shahbaz was assassinated in 2011 and Cecil died in 2012.

We’re also deeply saddened by the terrible plight of Pakistan’s religious minorities, especially Christians. The level of persecution they are facing now is worse than it’s ever been, and the loss of Cecil and Shahbaz – both staunch defenders of minority rights –is a big blow.

On this visit we met Asma Jahangir, former UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and a great defender of minorities; and the President of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, whose nephew, a lawyer, had just been shot in his office for defending
a client. They both told us, “We’ve almost given up hope.”

As CSW continues to work with activists and governments to make religious freedom a reality in Pakistan, we must pray that God will raise up new men and women to stand as men of integrity and truth to defend the rights of Christians and other minorities.