Peter from Pakistan

Client: Peter
Country: Pakistan

A Pretty Good Day at the Courthouse
By William O. Holston, Jr.

How can I explain just what it is like to describe the emotion of watching while a judge literally weighs your client’s entire future? How do you put into words what it is like to be an attorney, and watch as your clients receive a ruling that results in a new life here in America?  To see the tears on a mother’s face as she learns that she can be reunited with her children, who are in hiding?  To accept the thanks of clients who understand that now they can practice their faith openly, without fear of prison and death?

I hope that I can, in a small way, describe these things.  In the summer of 2003, I had the privilege of representing Peter and his wife in an application for asylum. Peter and his wife are Pakistani Christians. Christians constitute less than 2% of the population of Pakistan. The plight of religious minorities in Pakistan is well documented.  Perhaps this is demonstrated most acutely by the fact that Pakistan’s Blasphemy Act establishes the death penalty for acts of Blasphemy.  According to the US Secretary of State’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2002:

The Government fails in many respects to protect the rights of religious minorities. This is due both to public policy and to the Government’s unwillingness to take action against societal forces hostile to those that practice a different faith.

Since the time he was a teenager, Peter had been involved in teaching and preaching his Christian faith. In order to become a better minister, he studied theology in the United States in the early 1990s. Here he married his first wife, an American, who shared his desire to bring their faith to their countrymen. They returned to Pakistan, where they established a church and Bible school.

In the mid-1990s, Peter began street evangelism in Pakistan.  In order to be culturally sensitive and to avoid even the appearance of violating the Blasphemy Act, he and his fellow evangelists traveled in groups of four or five people, holding Bibles with their phone number in them.  If asked, they would give away Bibles.  

It did not take long before this simple expression of their faith resulted in big problems. Soon after their street ministry began, a group of men banged on Peter’s front door.  When he opened the door, the men grabbed Peter’s arm and pulled him out of the house. Based on their clothing, he was able to identify them as members of a militant group. They cursed Peter and his brother and beat them both with rubber hoses. They threatened Peter and his brothers’ wives and then left.   
        
Despite their skepticism that it would be worthwhile, the family decided to call the police. The police said they would come but never did.  The unwillingness of the police to protect Christians is well known in the Pakistani Christian community; when Christians contact the police, they are often investigated and harassed rather than helped.  In order to avoid further problems, the entire family rented another house and moved within a week.

Tragically, the following year Peter’s wife became ill while pregnant with their second child. Peter lost both his wife and his child.  During Peter’s wife’s illness, in an effort to locate blood donors, the US embassy contacted a church in Pakistan pastored by an American named John. Peter and John became friends.  After his wife’s death, Peter started working closely with John and the church.   It was through this work that Peter met the woman who would become his second wife and accompany him on his journey of faith.

Peter acted as a liaison between the church and the Pakistani community.  Living in America, it is very difficult for us to imagine what it is like to live in a country where the religious practices of citizens are monitored by security forces. The Pakistani government closely monitored the religious activities of Peter, John, and their church. Government agents were sent once a month to the church to ask questions. In addition, agents attend the services to observe them and note who was present. Both Peter and John’s mail was opened and inspected. 

In an effort to obtain more theological training, Peter traveled to Europe in 2000.  He attended a Bible College and other schools for theological studies, always intending to return to Pakistan. This is where he was on September 11, 2001.

While Peter was in Europe, his wife continued the ministry of free Bible distribution in Pakistan.  She reported increasing hostility from radicals. In the aftermath of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, Muslim clerics throughout Pakistan called for violence against Christians, Jews and Westerners. 

Even though Peter understood the situation for Christians was deteriorating, he returned to Pakistan in 2002.  By this time, most of his American friends had left the country because of the risk, including John. This situation culminated two months later, when a church was burned.  Five people were killed, many others were critically wounded.

Later in the year, Peter, his wife and four others were distributing Bibles when a group of Muslim radicals surrounded them.  The radicals cursed Jews, Christians, and Americans.  They used insulting epithets and warned that the evangelists would be killed unless they left Pakistan. This was the first time Peter and his wife had been threatened with death, and they consequently took the threats very seriously.

In the following days, they noticed men watching and following them wherever they went.   This continued for several months.  Then, at about midnight one night, there was a knock on their front door.  Peter recognized the visitor as one of their pursuers.  The man said he was there to help if they would let him in. Thinking he had no choice, Peter let the man into the house.

After inquiring as to whether Peter and his wife were aware of being under surveillance, the man told them: “Well, I have come to let you know that your lives are in danger.  If you can leave this country, LEAVE IT NOW, because I feel that you have not done any harm to us.”  He claimed to be a member of a powerful militant group.  The man knew about Peter’s high school, his studies in America, the fact that his first wife was American, and his involvement in the leadership of one of the churches in Pakistan.  The man told Peter that the family was in danger and that he was considered an American instrument, because of his contacts in and with America. He told Peter that the group intended to follow through on their threats.      

Peter and his wife left the city for a neighboring community to see if things would improve, but they continued to be stalked and followed.  Peter became convinced that the men meant to kill him and his family. Facing the hard choice of “leave or die,” they decided, after praying with his family and friends, to borrow money for tickets and to flee to the United States. They had only two visas and were forced to leave their two children behind with Peter’s parents for safekeeping, as there was no time to wait the lengthy process of applying for additional visas.

In the United States, Peter and his wife contacted Human Rights Initiative, who sent them to me for representation. After months of preparation, Peter credibly testified to all of these facts. Fortunately, John now lives in the United States and at his own expense traveled to the hearing to testify. His testimony was crucial in corroborating all of the details of Peter’s story.  John testified at great length concerning the plight of Christians in Pakistan and the fact that Peter and wife were particular targets, because they were Evangelicals.  Peter explained to the court that the term evangelical was derived from the Greek word Euangellion, or good news, which in Old English is translated Gospel. He explained that for an evangelical Christian, sharing your faith with others is not optional.  Even with the risk of persecution, it is an integral part of the practice of Christian faith.  This was Peter’s effort to obey G-d.

Peter’s testimony was so compelling that the opposing trial attorney had no questions for him. The judge asked John if he believed that Peter would be harmed if he returned to Pakistan. Choking up, he said: “Peter is my dear friend, the thought of losing him is very painful and yes, I do.” Finally, the Judge, before even hearing his wife’s testimony, asked what the trial attorney was thinking. The attorney very professionally and candidly told the court that he thought that we had established entitlement to asylum. The Judge immediately granted it. The courtroom burst into applause. My wife and 12 year-old son, neither of whom had ever seen an asylum trial were both in tears. Later they told me they were emotionally exhausted from simply watching the trial. Although they had always been supportive of my pro bono work, I think for the first time they understood what was at stake in these trials and why I cannot imagine not doing this work. Thanks to HRI, I have the privilege of being a part of this.

Peter had been volunteering as a teacher at a local church and the courtroom was full of members of his congregation. In a very fitting example of what it is like to live in this new country, all of us gathered in the reception area and offered a prayer of thanksgiving. Now, you see, Peter is living in a country, where he can practice his religion without fear. And that, as we lawyers say, is a pretty good day at the courthouse.

William O. Holston, Jr. is a partner at Sullivan, Ave, & Holston in Dallas.  In 2000, Mr. Holston was among the first attorneys to accept a pro bono case from Human Rights Initiative.  Today, he continues to be a strong advocate for HRI clients.  Human Rights Initiative is grateful to Mr. Holston for contributing this account of Peter’s case.