Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
London (Agenzia Fides) – He is 25 years old from Karachi and is the only Pakistani Christian who is part of the team sent from Islamabad to the London Paralympics: Naeem Masih wanted to play cricket but, having lost his hand in an accident, dedicated himself to the middle distance race. He "proudly" took part – as he said – in the 1500m race on the athletics track in London. The fact that he came 16th out of 17 competitors in the heat he ran without qualifying for the next stage, does not matter. His performance, his presence at the Paralympic was a great event and are a positive sign for Pakistan: "The presence of Naeem Masih means that the state considers religious minorities as an integral part of the nation, as minorities have always considered themselves. It is a sign of equal opportunity and absence of discrimination, it is a way to involve the youth of minorities in the spirit and in the activities of the nation," notes to Fides. Prof. Mobeen Shahid, Pakistani, professor at the Pontifical Lateran University. While international attention is magnetized by the case of the Catholic girl Rimsha Masih, accused of blasphemy, Naeem Masih’s experience thus offers a sign of hope.
Meanwhile, on the initiative of the parliamentary Catholic Akram Gill, Deputy Minister for National Harmony, the Pakistan People's Party, the ruling party, has presented a bill to increase the representation of religious minorities in proportion to their demographic consistency, both in the national parliament, and in the provincial. The project seems to find favor also on behalf of other political forces. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 05/09/2012)
