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Resolution V.19
On Pakistan
This Conference notes with deep concern the following resolution of the Church of Pakistan, namely:
"The Church of Pakistan wishes to place before the Lambeth Conference their concern about the deterioration of Christian/Muslim relations ever since the introduction of the Blasphemy Law into the Pakistan Penal Code under Section 295 B and C.
While we affirm
- our love for Pakistan as our homeland and our good wish for its safety and dignified position among the community of nations;
- our continued participation in the building of the nation which has been the hallmark of individual Christians and our institutions;
- our appreciation for Islamic moral values and the commonalities between the two faiths enabling us to live together; We are deeply concerned with the increasing intolerance and call upon the Conference to condemn:
- the rise of intolerance towards minorities, especially Christians;
- the legal and judicial processes which marginalise minorities and isolate them from the national mainstream, such as the separate electorates."
and therefore at the Church's request -
- calls for
- the repeal of the Blasphemy Law (PPC 295 B and C) which is the source of victimization of the minorities in Pakistan;
- the release of all prisoners unjustly accused under the Blasphemy Law, such as Ayub Misih; and
- the restoration of the rights of minorities as given in the 1973 Constitution;
- requests the Anglican Consultative Council to use its good offices to promote and develop harmony between the two major communities in Pakistan.