Is the Christian Community in Pakistan Facing Continued Oppression and Injustice?

Islamabad, May 14 (NationPress) Alarmed by alarming reports of the illegal eviction of Christians and the occupation of their land in the Kot Addu district, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has made an urgent appeal to both the federal and provincial governments, specifically urging the Punjab government to take immediate action against those responsible for the ongoing injustices and systematic neglect faced by this minority community.

The HRCP has underscored the troubling situation regarding the illegal eviction of Christian families from Kot Addu in Punjab's Derekabad district, instigated by local residents and land mafias. Local Christians assert that these land grabbers are attempting to wrongfully dispossess them of their rightful land, which they claim is a form of faith-based discrimination.

According to a statement from the HRCP, "The mission has identified a concerning increase in land seizure attempts by local land mafias, accompanied by a persistent failure from the state to enforce court decisions intended to safeguard these vulnerable farmers. This includes a 1983 directive from the Punjab Board of Revenue affirming the community’s rights to the agricultural land they cultivate."

“Farmers who spoke to the HRCP mission reported that they are still waiting for land allotment letters, following favorable court rulings. HRCP is alarmed that without such documentation, these farmers risk losing their cultivated land, leaving them susceptible to forced displacement and without a source of livelihood, which could plunge them deeper into poverty,” the statement added.

Members of the local Christian community have reported persistent threats from land grabbers, who have already forcibly evicted them from their properties.

"Numerous orders issued by the Lahore High Court to DC Muzaffargarh and DC Kot Addu have been disregarded. Assurances from the Board of Revenue Punjab and even the Governor remain unfulfilled. The land grabbers continue to threaten us," stated Father Maqsood, a Christian leader from Derekabad.

"We demand legal land rights and immediate protection for these impoverished Christian farmers, who have been rendered vulnerable and voiceless. They possess all necessary paperwork yet lack the means to secure their legal rights in a corrupt environment," he emphasized.

The HRCP has urged the Punjab government to promptly investigate the situation and issue land allotment letters to eligible farmers in Derekabad.

"The government must take decisive legal measures against land mafias and individuals involved in these unlawful evictions while providing urgent protection to the affected families to ensure they can live and work without the fear of retaliation. As Christians, this community is doubly vulnerable and deserves acknowledgment, legal protection, and restitution for years of state neglect," the HRCP declared.