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Rahat John Austin

Rahat John Austin (born 20 November 1981) is a Pakistani Lawyer, writer, teacher and activist. He is President of Living River Society and Founder of United Christian Council of Pakistan (UCCP).

Literary work
He is Author of the Books “Religious minorities & Discriminatory Laws of Pakistan” and “HOPE FOR LIFE” on Human Trafficking in Pakistan, Funded and Published by American High Commission in Pakistan, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Organization for Participatory Development Pakistan.

Early life and education
Austin was born in Kanaiyalal Bakhshi Garden Now (Peoples Colony) Gujranwala Punjab Pakistan into a Christian family of Farmers. Before 1984 they owned and were cultivating a large piece of land in Kanaiyalal Garden later the land was taken by the Government in the name of so called resettlement of Indian migrants. In 1984 they left Kanaiyalal Garden after their house attacked and torched by religious extremists; during this vandalizing he lost his left eye while his younger sister who was just one year old died because of torture. His mothers never forget that incident and died in age of 46 with this grief. Austin was educated at the S.T Francis High School Gujranwala. He received a degree in law from Punjab University Lahore and a degree in Mass Communication from Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad Pakistan.

Activism
He has been striving for the rule of law, justice and equal distribution of rights. Mr. Austin has contributed to promote democracy, human rights, tolerance, mitigation and prevention of violence against women, child and minorities through raising the voice on their behalf. His organization provides pro bono/low bono legal aid services to enhance access to justice to underserved, marginalized and disempowered segments of the society, specifically women, religious minorities and juveniles. He always involved in public causes either to protect or promote an existing legal right or to establish the need of a legislated social order. There are many cases famous at national and international level which Mr. Austin has perused on behalf of marginalized communities of Pakistan.

Detention
He was detained by Police without charges and later released On 22 September 2013, when he was leading protest against killing of innocent Christians in twin suicide bomb attacks took place at All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, in which 127 Christian Men, Women and children were killed and over 250 injured and second when on 13 April 2013  more than 500 of extremists from surrounding villages attacked a Christian village of Francis Abad, Gujranwala. The incident in Gujranwala comes almost a month after a mob of Extremists vandalised and torched some 200 homes of Christians at Joseph Colony in Lahore on March 9, 2013.