Save George Naz, Gul Sher and Tariq Yousa...

<p><strong>We&nbsp;the undersigned&nbsp;call for the expedition of the applications for asylum by the three Pakistani Christians named above based on the high risk the men&nbsp;face. &nbsp;All three victims are recognized international victims moreover they are exhibiting signs of depression and trauma. In the case of Gul Sher in particular there is a real threat that Pakistan's Government may also want him dead. We demand swift action by the UNHCR to resettle these men so that they might find safety and then ascertain how best to be reunited with their families. &nbsp;We thank the UNHCR for their continual efforts to protect asylum seekers.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Wilson Chowdhry Chairman of the <a href="http://www.britishpakistanichristians.org">British Pakistani Christian Association</a> has submitted the latest copy of our report on persecution in Pakistan and the asylum seeker scandal in Thailand to Peter Trotter a Senior Protection Officer at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (ESCAP), offices of the UNHCR. &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>With&nbsp;our latest report we have submitted a file containing three particularly concerning asylum applications, from victims who have been in Thailand for 2.5 years but are yet to attend their initial interview.&nbsp;</p><p><br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Naz_Blasphemy_case">George Naz</a>&nbsp;was a human rights activist who spoke out against attacks on Pakistani Christians. He was a very vocal proponent for justice and for this was targetted by Islamic extremists. &nbsp;He has been beaten up many times &nbsp;for his stance and eventually his voice for others led to a false allegation of blasphemy, from which he had to go into hiding and then flee the country leaving his wife and children behind. &nbsp;He has been interviewed by international media including CBN News <a href="http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2016/june/these-christians-were-chained-like-dogs-after-seeking-asylum">(click here).</a>&nbsp;His high profile places him at greater risk than other victims of Blasphemy and he has already received threats in Thailand. &nbsp;</p><p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/detail.php?hnewsid=4796">Gul Sher</a>&nbsp;was the regular driver for Former Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti. Mr Sher believes he is lucky to be alive after he escaped being shot himself. &nbsp;As a material witness he was required to go to several court hearings and was asked to testify about what he saw on the day of the attack. &nbsp;He came under pressure to falsify his account to both Muslim extremists groups and allegedly government officials. &nbsp;They demanded that he lay the blame on Christians groups in tandem with fabricated reports that appeared in many of Pakistan's mainstream media. &nbsp;When he refused he was forced to flee the country after being beaten several times and receiving no increased security or annoymity from the Government of Pakistan. &nbsp;Sadly the charges laid against the suspects implicated in the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti were able to escape justice, when Gul Sher fled for his life <a href="http://morningstarnews.org/2014/07/main-suspect-in-bhatti-murder-in-pakistan-released-as-death-threats-stall-prosecution/">(click here)</a>. However, if Gul Sher ever returns to Pakistan he will be required to attend court to give evidence and believes he will be killed. He is an internationally recognized figure and his case must be expedited for his safety.</p><p><br /><br />Tariq Yousaf, was accused of a blasphemy after he sold his handmade fireworks to some local Muslims. The men had damaged the fireworks and then asked for their money back until Mr Yousaf explained through illustration that the ones not damaged work perfectly well. &nbsp;The men later called him back to but further fireworks and then beat him and accused him of using torn shreds of the Quran to make the fireworks. An allegation he vehemently denies, however the impending arrest forced him to flee Pakistan for Thailand, &nbsp;He is a well know hate figure in Pakistan as extremists groups still believe he committed a blasphemy. &nbsp;His story was featured in an Associated Press article placing him in an extremely vulnerable position. &nbsp;Mr Yousaf left behind his wife and children.</p><p>&nbsp;Learn more at <a href="http://www.britishpakistanichristians.org">www.britishpakistanichristians.org</a></p>