A Christian group says the people who attacked and killed a young couple in Pakistan should be brought to justice.
The British Pakistani Christian Association has launched a petition in support of the couple who were killed earlier this month.
Shahzad Masih and Shama Bibi were attacked with sharp implements, stripped naked and burned alive in a brick kiln.
Protect Christians
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has intervened, calling for an investigation into the issue.
The Evangelical Alliance, a supporter of the Pakistani Christian group, welcomed the court’s action but said more was needed.
Manoj Raithatha, who leads the South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance, said: “This move by the Supreme Court is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to protect Christians in Pakistan who face persecution.”
Hate attacks
He said the aim of the petition was to “force our government to do something tangible to ensure that there can be no ‘business as usual’ in Pakistan in relation to the murder of Christians under the pretence of its biased blasphemy law”.
Raithatha continued: “Pakistan needs to ensure that the impunity for hate attacks against minorities is stopped.
“And they can do this by guaranteeing that perpetrators are convicted rather than released after a short period of remand as in previous similar incidents.”
The petition outlines the brutal violence meted out on the couple, who are both in their 20s, and calls for the Government of Pakistan to ensure convictions for the attackers.