Senate panel takes up Christian cemetery crisis

Seeks briefing on available burial space, cemetery land and alleged encroachments

RAWALPINDI:

The Senate committee has taken notice of the severe shortage of Christian cemeteries in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and summoned the Islamabad Chief Commissioner and the Rawalpindi Division Commissioner.

The Senate Parliamentary Minority Caucus has included important matters concerning the condition of Christian and other minority cemeteries in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, available burial space and the protection of land allocated for cemeteries on the agenda of its upcoming meeting.

According to a notice issued by the Senate Secretariat, the Minority Caucus meeting will be held on September 18 at 2pm in Committee Room No 1 of Parliament House, Islamabad. The meeting will be chaired by Minority Caucus Convener Senator Danesh Kumar.

The meeting will seek detailed briefings from the Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Chief Commissioner Islamabad and Commissioner Rawalpindi on the cemeteries available for Christian and other minority communities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The committee will obtain comprehensive information from the relevant authorities regarding the total number of cemeteries, their locations, the area of land allocated to them, dates of allocation, competent authorities, their current status and the remaining burial capacity.

The committee will also review the legal procedures, criteria and policy for allocating land for cemeteries, as well as the responsibilities of the relevant government institutions. Detailed briefings have also been sought from the concerned authorities regarding alleged illegal encroachments, transfers, allocations and occupation of cemetery land.

The committee also wants to determine how much of the land allocated for cemeteries has allegedly been transferred, sold or encroached upon, and the reasons for the alleged use or allocation of cemetery land for residential or commercial purposes. The return and restoration of allegedly affected land, legal and departmental action against those responsible, and a strategy for protecting cemetery land in the future will also be discussed.

According to a recent report, although 10 kanals of land had originally been allocated for the cemetery, the available burial space has declined significantly, creating a serious problem for Christian families seeking burial space.