Giving new hope to Pakistan's Christians

Christians in the West may be far physically from their persecuted brothers and sisters in Pakistan, but there is still something they can do to strengthen their faith.

It's one thing hearing reports of how bad the situation is in Pakistan and another thing altogether to go there and see for yourself the difficulties that our Christian brothers and sisters are facing on a daily basis.

The stifling heat during my visit could be a metaphor for the pressure bearing down on the Christian community across Pakistan, as lawmakers turn away from their duty to speak up for all citizens and the judiciary shirks from bringing to justice those who do them harm.

I had hoped that a visit to my home country would throw up some cause for optimism, even if only a small one. Instead, I heard report after report of how Christians are being driven to the margins in their own country, facing frequent charges of blasphemy and with no one to fight their cause.

It's difficult for them to know where to turn for help since the murders of their principal allies earlier this year, Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, and Punjab Governor, Salmaan Taseer. Both were killed because of their support for reform of the blasphemy laws – the chief source of misery for Pakistan's Christians. Little progress has been made in the trials of their suspected killers as judges run a mile from the prospect of trying someone who is being hailed a hero by even the more moderate Muslims.

One member of the team handling the Bhatti investigation told me that some people were trying to influence the investigation and put a stop to it – including some Christians. Making things harder is the fact that the judiciary consists entirely of Muslims, despite there being several senior lawyers of the Christian faith who are qualified enough to become a judge of the high court.