Source: Independent Press Association-NY/Pakistan Post

http://www.indypressny.org/article.php3?ArticleID=1620

On September 1, 2004 the Pakistan Post ran an opinion piece by Manzoor Ejaz in which he argues, "Whether in Pakistan or in North America, there’s a dilemma for Pakistan’s Christian community members; although they are as much Pakistani as their Muslim compatriots, they still are considered second class citizens. They can be prosecuted under Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which carries a sentence of capital punishment. They are politically hindered and made ineffective by being bracketed into a separate electorate [Pakistan’s Christians and other minorities used to elect their representatives under separate electorate]. Like other Pakistanis, they too celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day in the United States and lobby for Pakistan with U.S. senators and congressmen. However, despite all these patriotic efforts, they don’t get the level of respect they deserve."