This story was written in collaboration with Alishba Kashif, Mohammad Ali and Zubair Khalid, students at Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan.
Christians in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-most populous city, face various socioeconomic challenges and discriminatory pressures in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
A report by United Kingdom’s Independent Advisory Group on Country Information indicated that Christians in Pakistan face discrimination in Pakistan’s Constitution.
They can face risk of prosecution under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws, be denied of marriage registrations, forced to convert to Islam, while also being at risk of violence from police officials, and discrimination in education and employment.
Christ Church Youhanabad’s Pastor Ashknath Sunil said it was difficult for Christians in Lahore to get white-collar jobs, as most Christians belong to lower middle-class families and cannot afford a good education.
“Private education is very expensive and a majority of us rely on scholarships to continue our studies,” Pastor Sunil said.
A study by Forman Christian College shows that more than 60 per cent of Christians are unemployed, reflecting the impact of the Christian community’s low education level on their employment opportunities.
The study shows the majority of Christians are employed in menial jobs such as sanitation, nursing and goods delivery.
“To some extent we feel discriminated as organisations and job centres prioritise Muslims over us,” Pastor Sunil said.
While Pakistan, which officially became an Islamic republic in 1956, tries to ensure freedom of religion and equal citizenship to all citizens, international incidents such as the Soviet-Afghan War, Gulf War and the 9/11 attack have contributed to rising tensions between Christians and Muslims communities.
Since the 1980s, the Christian community has expressed a growing concern that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are being used to prosecute Christians, several hundreds of whom have been unlawfully arrested with at least a dozen sentenced to death.
“We Christians are worried about our security. There are many extremist Muslims out there targeting our religious places and churches,” Pastor Sunil said.
The Christian community has been targeted by various extremist attacks over the years.
A Peshawar church was bombed in 2013, killing 127 people and injuring 250 more.
A Lahore church was bombed in 2015, with 15 people killed and 70 injured.
However Christians say there have been improvements in the recent years as government agencies and non-government organisations spread awareness of the community’s issues.
“We feel accepted in Lahore, as the majority of people here don’t bother other religions. We have Muslim friends here who are very caring and helpful,” Mr Sunil said.
After the recent rise in terrorist attacks against the Christian community, Pastor Sunil says he feels the government has made the protection and safety of Christians in Lahore a priority, taking steps to prevent riots arising from religious tensions.
“The best way to bring harmony between religious communities is to respect others’ freedom to believe.”
Holy Trinity Church, Murree, Pakistan
Feature Photo by Khalid Mahmood via Wikimedia Commons.
