Pakistan: Christians Condemn Kashmir Violence
By UCA News
More than 300 Christians rallied in Quetta in one of several demonstrations held across Pakistan to protest the recent wave of unrest in the disputed Kashmir region.
“Join hands and support Kashmiris!” protesters shouted as the crowd descended on provincial assembly of Balochistan.
They carried signs “down with Indian oppression.”
Khalil George, a Catholic lawmaker from the National Assembly, organized the July 18 protest that was also attended by 12 pastors.
More than 500 children later participated in a candlelight vigil for the dozens of protesters killed and more than 3,000 people injured in the past two weeks.
The fresh unrest was sparked when Indian forces killed Burhan Muzaffar Wani, a 21-year-old commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, a Kashmiri separatist group.
“We pray for an end to this bloodshed. India must reconsider its claims of being a truly democratic state,” George told ucanews.com.
The Pakistan Catholic bishop’s National Commission for Justice and Peace also condemned alleged human rights violations in India’s Kashmir Valley in a press statement issued July 17.
“Asking from almighty God the gift of peace, we also pray for the families of the dead and injured, imploring God to give them strength to overcome this irreparable loss of their loved ones and wish for a speedy recovery of those injured,” the statement said.
