Pakistani Christians join hunger strike for church building
-02/07/05
Christians in Lahore, Pakistan, are continuing a ten day hunger strike to seek the return of St Andrew’s Church, a building taken over by the authorities nearly twenty years ago, so that they can use it to provide spiritual and social support for the poor. They say they will mount a demonstration in front of the Punjab Assembly if necessary.
The message was given through a demonstration at a local Catholic Church, where hundreds of Christians from Kot Lakhpat and Youhanaabad joined a camp on Friday and continued with a hunger strike in spite of torrential rain. Women and younger people are now joining the camp.
The protestors allege that a local school chain is violating the sanctity of the 100-year-old church, which was built in 1899 for Christian railway employees. After partition, the Presbyterians took responsibility for the building until 1986. Thereafter the railway authorities sealed its main entrance and linked it with their own high school.
Shahzad Elahi, a member of the Punjab Assembly, says he will raise the issue with the authorities as well as negotiating with the railway authorities.
Others in the community argue that the building came into wider ownership when the Church could no longer maintain it, and is now legitimately public property.
ìIf [it is] given back, the Church could cater to over 3,500 poor Christians living in nearby areas like Railways Market, Taizab Hata, Sultanpura and Railways Power House,î said Yousaf Gill, a member of the committee working for its restoration.
Christians are small minority in Pakistan, a predominantly Mulsim country, and have been under growing pressure from controversial blasphemy laws and physical attacks in recent years.
Pakistani Christians join hunger strike for church building
-02/07/05
Christians in Lahore, Pakistan, are continuing a ten day hunger strike to seek the return of St Andrew’s Church, a building taken over by the authorities nearly twenty years ago, so that they can use it to provide spiritual and social support for the poor. They say they will mount a demonstration in front of the Punjab Assembly if necessary.
The message was given through a demonstration at a local Catholic Church, where hundreds of Christians from Kot Lakhpat and Youhanaabad joined a camp on Friday and continued with a hunger strike in spite of torrential rain. Women and younger people are now joining the camp.
The protestors allege that a local school chain is violating the sanctity of the 100-year-old church, which was built in 1899 for Christian railway employees. After partition, the Presbyterians took responsibility for the building until 1986. Thereafter the railway authorities sealed its main entrance and linked it with their own high school.
Shahzad Elahi, a member of the Punjab Assembly, says he will raise the issue with the authorities as well as negotiating with the railway authorities.
Others in the community argue that the building came into wider ownership when the Church could no longer maintain it, and is now legitimately public property.
‘If [it is] given back, the Church could cater to over 3,500 poor Christians living in nearby areas like Railways Market, Taizab Hata, Sultanpura and Railways Power House,’ said Yousaf Gill, a member of the committee working for its restoration.
Christians are small minority in Pakistan, a predominantly Mulsim country, and have been under growing pressure from controversial blasphemy laws and physical attacks in recent years.