Captured land

While Christian groups have been protesting, only a handful of activists from mainstream Muslim society have joined.

The Christian community in Lahore continues its desperate protests over the bulldozing conducted several days ago by the Lahore Development Authority of a school, a church and the ‘Gosha-e-Aman’ home for old people. The land on which the buildings stood had been on lease to the Catholic Church since 1887. The lease was not automatically renewed in 1987 and the matter is before the court. Christian leaders, including the Bishop of Lahore, Alexander John Malik accuse the Punjab government of seeking to seize the highly valuable two acres of land which stood in Garhi Shahu in the heart of Lahore. Minority leaders have strongly denied the claims made by the Punjab Minorities Minister, Kamran Michael, that the land had been taken over by a land mafia. He stated this was simply an excuse to take possession of property.

While Christian groups have been protesting fervently — joined by nuns from various convents in the city — only a handful of activists from mainstream Muslim society have joined them. This is, despite the fact that the Gosha-e-Aman home offered shelter to persons of all beliefs. The fact that few such facilities exist would suggest that every effort should have been made to protect it. Instead, the opposite was done by the government itself. Helpless inhabitants who had lived in the shelter for years saw it being torn down before their eyes, as they watched — in many cases — shedding tears. Church property was desecrated and attempts to obtain an immediate stay failed. The action does nothing to improve ties with a community which already feels marginalised, and this sidelining only adds to the growing social tensions we face. Media attention has also been too limited. The enormous services of missionaries in our land need to be acknowledged and the action at Garhi Shahu reversed immediately by a government which has demonstrated scorn for their efforts to better the lives of some of the most deprived members of our society.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2012.