Dear General Musharraf PAKISTAN: Desecration and destruction of churches and Christian property after blasphemy allegations at Sangla Hills, Pakistan Name of the victims: The Christian community in Sangla Hills, Pakistan Alleged perpetrators: A mob consisting of one to two thousand persons Date of the incident: 12 November 2005 Place of the incident: Sangla Hills in Pakistan I am writing to voice my concern and dismay at the information I have received regarding the desecration and destruction of churches and Christian property in the area of Sangla Hills. According to the information, on 12 November 2005, a mob estimated about one to two thousand person strong attacked numerous Christian properties after hearing about the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran by a Christian. Such an attack caused the damage of three Churches, a Sister’s Convent, St. Anthony’s School, a girl’s hostel and a Pastor’s house. There is evidence that the attacks seemed planned and organized as the attackers were brought to the site in buses according to several eyewitnesses. 450 Christian families living in Sangla Hills were forced to leave their homes and evacuate the area the night before due to the severe intimidation and threats they received from the locals. They have only dared to come back after the mob had left. Two houses belonging to the relatives of the person accused of desecrating the Holy Quran were ransacked. The incident took place after an alleged desecration of the Holy Quran on November 11, by one Yousaf Masih who allegedly threw a burning matchstick into the Quran Mahal situated in the Sangla Hill stadium, which subsequently caught fire. This resulted in some copies of the Holy Quran being burnt to ashes. Yousaf Masih is currently missing and according to press reports, his brother Salim Masih was detained a day before. At the moment, an investigation into the allegations still has not taken place. According to initial information the allegations of desecration of the Holy Quran were motivated. The accusations were made as a result of settling a dispute regarding gambling debts between the accusers and the accused, and had nothing to do with the alleged desecration of the Holy Quaran. Whilst welcoming the arrest of some 80 of the alleged perpetrators, what concerns me more is the safety of the religious minorities such as the Christians in Pakistan. This case demonstrates that the laws in Pakistan are not sufficient enough to afford proper protection to them. There needs to be more stringent rules for law enforcement officials to follow since one questions the impartiality of the police who seem to have been negligent in this case. They have failed to prevent or quell the mob from destroying the Christian property. The first step the government can take to attain religious equality among the peoples of Pakistan would be to repeal the blasphemy laws since they are the main source and tool for creating social, sectarian and inter-religious disharmony in the country. The government should also take affirmative steps to educate the masses about tolerance and peace, for example by removing religious biases in the syllabus and media policy and repealing the discriminatory laws. Finally, I ask that a full and speedy investigation be initiated into the allegations of desecration of the Holy Quran and into the mob that destroyed the Christian property. I look forward to your intervention in this matter.