Rebecca Duffett spoke with Sohail Johnson

Pakistan is a place of turmoil and challenge for Christians. Release International works with partners in Pakistan to support persecuted Christians and to bring their needs into the public eye. One of their key partners, Sohail Johnson of Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan, has worked closely with Pakistan's Christians in many of the nation's trouble spots, to bring aid and relief and to allow their voices to be heard by the international community. Rebecca Duffett spoke with him about the use of the blasphemy law, lack of access to good education and social care and general discrimination that Christians regularly face.

Rebecca: What is the situation like in Pakistan?

Sohail: Pakistan's position is getting worse because there is no rule of law and everyone in Pakistan feels insecure, because everywhere anytime the suicidal bombs can blast themselves and the bomb blast can be seen everywhere anytime.

The other thing is, the political parties they are failing to control the Islamic militants or Islamic organisation that are disturbing the peace and the rule of law there in Pakistan.

Rebecca: What's the situation like for Christians in the country?

Sohail: Christians are minorities in Pakistan and they are facing many kind of pressures like, there is a village that was attacked by the Muslims because they blame that some Christian disgraced Islam's Koran and he spoke against Mohammad. The mood gathered and the attack on the Christian village and they looted their belongings and burned their houses. In that mob some Christians were burnt alive during the attack.

Christians of Pakistan are living under the blasphemy law and this is tight for them.

Rebecca: What is the current blasphemy law and what are the punishments for that?

Sohail: If someone is accused of blasphemy, according to the law he have to face death sentence or life imprisonment.

Rebecca: And how widely is this actually used?

Sohail: In the last two years what I have experienced is that this law is used abundantly everywhere in Pakistan. There's no need to prove accused person is guilty or not. Sometimes it happen that if someone arrested by the police, any Muslim or fanatic kind of mind set Muslim can take his rifle and open fire on the person accused of blasphemy and that's under the study of police.

Last year two brothers who were accused of blasphemy, they were coming back after the court hearing and someone opened fire on them and they were shot in the custody of the police. Sometimes people in Pakistan think that if they kill the minorities, people who are accused of blasphemy, they will not break the law of Pakistan.

Rebecca: Are more Christians, as opposed to other religious minorities, suffering because of this law?

Sohail: Yes, because of this law and government totally ignoring the development of the Christians there. There is no opportunity to have jobs in government sectors and no solid programme for the development of the Christian minority and religious minorities in Pakistan.