ISLAMABAD, Dec 6: Rights activists condemned last month’s attack on three churches at Sangla Hill in Sheikhupura District of Punjab at a meeting on Tuesday and called upon the society to respect the rights of all religious communities. “Intolerance shown to non-Muslim communities would ultimately prove a greater danger to Muslims themselves as it becomes a habit with the majority community,” warned I.A. Rehman, director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Over the years the country created in the name of Islam was being divided in the name of sects and sub-sects, he told the meeting called by a non-government organization, the ActionAid group, to express solidarity with religious minorities.

Though the constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens, in effect “non-Muslims enjoy less rights than the Muslims, Mr Rehman said.

“Discriminatory laws prevent dispensing justice, particularly to the poor. It is a sin to be a poor Muslim in our society and a greater sin to be a poor non-Muslim.

“There exist laws against spreading religious hatred but no one has ever been punished, even when in cases where religious fanatics have issued signed death threats to liberals,” he said.

Ms Nusrat Sheikh of the ActionAid said, “ideological problems” lay at the root of the malaise and regretted that Muslims do not support a pro-active approach to the issue of religious intolerance.

Ceicil Chaudhry, a hero of the air battles of the 1965 war, said the Sangla Hill tragedy was premeditated as the attackers took a day to plan their assault on the churches using special chemical. He said the incident was “a test case” for the society.

“We have to act unitedly and now against the instigators of the attack,” he said.

A ruling party member of the National Assembly, Akram Masih, said he involved Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Ilahi and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in defusing the situation. “The government was cooperating with the Christian community fully in the matter,” he said.

A Hindu representative assured the meeting, attended by other religious minorities also, that “we are one in shedding tears”.

His community did not build temples for the fear the majority community would demolish them. “We observe our religious rituals in silence and in the seclusion of our houses,” he said.