Social media users have reacted angrily to a complaint moved by a Christian police officer serving in Faisalabad who has accused his senior officer of religious prejudice.
According to investigation officer Shehzad Javed of Police Station Mansoorabad, the deputy superintendent of police on April 11, used pejorative terms for him while inquiring about an attempted murder case filed under Section 324.
“I arrested three accused and sent them to judicial lockup. Recovery was made from one of them while another was granted pre-arrest bail,” Javed stated in his application addressed to the Faisalabad police chief.
“I was summoned by DSP Mian Muhammad Akram for a briefing about the said case but during the course of discussion, the former started hurling inappropriate remarks at me for no reason.
“Who hired you in the department? You are Christian and you should be a sanitary worker. Your parents must have been cleaners as well. You are unfit for the police department. I got another Christian Trainee Sub Inspector Bilawal Binyamin sacked from this job and now I will get your services terminated too…,” Javed quoted DSP Akram as saying.
“Despite the insults, I remained silent to maintain the discipline of the force. I will share other things that are not stated in this application. Although I am a Christian, my whole family is educated. I was hired on merit in this department. Nobody has the right to use inappropriate words against me because of being a minority. I demand action against the DSP concerned.”
Kross Konnection made repeated attempts to contact Javed but he didn’t respond.
Commenting on the issue, Akmal Bhatti, chairman of the Minorites Alliance Pakistan, said in a tweet: “Religious hatred is unacceptable. Remove SDPO/fsd for hate crime based on religion.”
Religious hatered is unacceptable.@rpo_faisalabad @OfficialDPRPP
Remove SDPO/fsd for hate crime based on religion.@RanaSanaullahPK@ShahbazShareef @BBhuttoZardari pic.twitter.com/BmKMthHmew— akmalbhatti (@akmalbhattimap) April 22, 2022
In a Facebook post, social activist Lala Robin Daniel condemned the “serious silence” of the authorities.
“Awaiting severe punishment, cosmetic actions will be unacceptable. Being buried alive is better than inhumane insults. This should be strongly condemned and the harshest punishment should be demanded,” he stated.
“This discrimination will never end. To tell Imran Khan, you are crying for Islamophobia of the world but you can’t see the ‘Christianophobia’ in Pakistan,” said JJ George, a former lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.