Although the overwhelming majority of Muslims were involved in the struggle for the establishment of Pakistan, the second largest force was the Chr
Why are Christians disappointed from the Punjab of the partition of India to today's Punjab By Dr. Emanuel Adil Ghouri
Readers who have turned the pages of history are well aware of the fact that in the struggle for independence, Christian political leader Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a fighter in every frontline, while the minorities who are more important and privileged than Christians today had no significant role in the establishment of Pakistan. Rather, those who are partners in power today were opposed to the establishment of Pakistan. The Pakistan Resolution passed on March 23, 1940, was rejected by the Sikhs outright. The Sikhs were opposed to the partition of India and were willing to support the Hindus in the event of partition. The Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal strongly opposed the partition of India. Sikhs and Hindus were very close in their civilization, culture, and religious practices. The Sikhs had a history of conflicts with Muslim rulers and Mughal authorities, which made them afraid of being under Muslim rule. The fate of the united Punjab had been decided in June 1947. The western part of Punjab was to be incorporated into Pakistan, while eastern Punjab was to remain in India. From July 21 to 31, 1947, the decision was to be made as to which areas of Punjab would go to Pakistan and which would go to India, based on religious identity.
For this purpose, the Punjab Boundary Commission was established under the leadership of Sir Cyril Radcliffe, in which Justice Din Muhammad and Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan were appointed to conduct the proceedings. When the Boundary Commission proceedings began, Christian leaders Sangha, Gibbon, and Fazal Elahi, in their recorded statements, demanded that the Christian population be considered part of the Muslim population for the purpose of border demarcation .The Sikhs wanted to include the present-day Punjab of Pakistan, which is the largest province of the country, in India, for which the Sikh leader Master Tara Singh started harassing the Christian members of the Punjab Assembly and waved his sword on the steps of the Punjab Assembly and said that whoever asks for Pakistan will get a graveyard. Instead of being disturbed by his action, Christian leader Dewan Bahadur SP Singha, puffing out his chest, replied that he would take a bullet in the chest and create Pakistan.Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had realized from the situation in the Punjab Assembly that he would not be able to get a clear majority in the referendum regarding the division of Punjab. If he had any hope that could lead to his success at this time, it was the Christian members of the Punjab Assembly. Therefore, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah reached the residence of SP Singh at 3 Davis Road, Lahore to seek his support and sought support from Christian leaders.Christian leaders SP Sanga Fazal Elahi Chaudhry and C Gibbon unconditionally assured support to the Quaid-e-Azam and then when the vote was taken in the Punjab Assembly, the votes of the Congress and the Muslim League were equal. On this occasion, the Christian Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Duran Bahadur SP Sanga, cast his decisive vote and decided the division of Punjab in favor of the Muslim League. Thus, present-day Punjab became a part of Pakistan and from here, injustices against its Christian benefactors began. When the first session of the Punjab Assembly was held after the formation of Pakistan, SP Sanga, who had cast a casting vote for Punjab was removed from office through a no-confidence motion.The reason was that no non-Muslim can be the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly This tradition still persists today. in the Punjab Assembly. On the contrary, the Balochistan Assembly elected Bashir Masih as Deputy Speaker in (1993/1996). On June 23, 2025, the Sindh Assembly made some concessions to the Christians by making Naveed Anthony the Deputy Speaker.
While the current Chief Minister of Punjab has completely ignored Christians in her cabinet, making Ramesh Singh Rora a minister and telling Christians their fate.Regardless of the fact that in the constituencies of Lahore from which Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz and herself contested elections and reached the post of Chief Minister, the number of Sikh votes is only 88 while the number of Christian voters is 336139.Similarly, if I mention the total population of Punjab, 81% of the Christian population, which is approximately 2.6 million, is located in Punjab, while the total population of Sikhs in Punjab is 5,500. Your wise decision is beyond our understanding.
In 1972, Christian educational institutions across the country were taken under national custody, however, after a few years of review, other provinces returned these educational institutions to their original owners, while 75% of Christian educational institutions in Punjab are still under the administration of the Punjab government, and there is no plan under consideration for their return. Church properties worth trillions of rupees in Punjab are in the possession of land mafia and the Punjab government has no interest in recovering them. 90% of the attacks on Christian settlements and churches including religious intolerance and injustice against Pakistani Christians have occurred in Punjab.
Published in the CSJ publication "Human Rights Observer", the report details 113 attacks on Christian properties and places of worship, particularly in Punjab. According to data collected by the Institute for Social Justice, Punjab has a long history of violent attacks. From 1997 to 2016, 51 attacks on Christian communities and churches were reported, including 15 terrorist attacks and others carried out by mobs. These attacks resulted in damage to 69 churches and over a thousand homes.138 Christians were killed. In addition, 23 Christians were extrajudicially killed by mobs after being accused of takfir, while hundreds were injured.
Here are some brief descriptions of the incidents On October 28, 2001, 16 people, including children, were killed in an attack by armed men on a church in the southern city of Bahawalpur in Punjab province
In August 2002, five people were killed in an attack by armed men on a missionary school run by foreigners in Murree. No foreigners were among the dead.
In August 2002, four women were killed in an attack on the Presbyterian Hospital church in Taxila. On December 25, 2002, on Christmas Eve, a grenade attack on a church in Daska, Punjab, killed three Christian girls and injured several women.
Refers to the attacks on the Christian villages of Shanti Nagar and Tabba near Khanewal, Punjab, on February 5, 2005, where a large Muslim mob burned down homes and churches. The violence began when loudspeakers blared accusations against the local Christian community for desecrating the Quran. The attacks resulted in the destruction of more than 700 homes, four churches, and the displacement of thousands of Christians from their villages.
On August 1, 2009, an angry Muslim mob attacked the Christian community of Gojra, a town in Toba Tek Singh, in one of the deadliest attacks on Christians in Pakistan's history. On July 25, 2009, more than 100 Christian homes were looted and set on fire in Gojra after a Christian allegedly desecrated the Holy Quran. Eight Christians were also burned alive during the riots.
In March 2013, a Christian from Joseph Colony, a predominantly Christian neighborhood in Lahore, was accused of blasphemy. Following the accusation, an estimated 3,000 Muslim mob attacked the Christian neighborhood and burned down 150 homes.
On November 4, 2014, a Christian couple, Shahzad Masih, aged 32, and his wife Mrs. Shama, aged 30, were severely beaten and thrown into a burning kiln by an angry mob of about 2,000 to 3,000 people. The mob was instigated by the owner of a kiln in Kasur district of Punjab province.
According to an official report on August 16 2023, an angry mob in Jaranwala and its surroundings set fire to and vandalized 86 houses, in addition to 26 churches and Christian places of worship.
In the lines above, I have explained that all the accused involved in the incidents have been released due to lack of evidence and poor police investigation. The surprising thing is that in such sensitive cases, the police investigation was poor and modern technical equipment was not used. This clearly shows the government's lack of interest.
For this purpose, the Punjab Boundary Commission was established under the leadership of Sir Cyril Radcliffe, in which Justice Din Muhammad and Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan were appointed to conduct the proceedings. When the Boundary Commission proceedings began, Christian leaders Sangha, Gibbon, and Fazal Elahi, in their recorded statements, demanded that the Christian population be considered part of the Muslim population for the purpose of border demarcation .The Sikhs wanted to include the present-day Punjab of Pakistan, which is the largest province of the country, in India, for which the Sikh leader Master Tara Singh started harassing the Christian members of the Punjab Assembly and waved his sword on the steps of the Punjab Assembly and said that whoever asks for Pakistan will get a graveyard. Instead of being disturbed by his action, Christian leader Dewan Bahadur SP Singha, puffing out his chest, replied that he would take a bullet in the chest and create Pakistan.Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had realized from the situation in the Punjab Assembly that he would not be able to get a clear majority in the referendum regarding the division of Punjab. If he had any hope that could lead to his success at this time, it was the Christian members of the Punjab Assembly. Therefore, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah reached the residence of SP Singh at 3 Davis Road, Lahore to seek his support and sought support from Christian leaders.Christian leaders SP Sanga Fazal Elahi Chaudhry and C Gibbon unconditionally assured support to the Quaid-e-Azam and then when the vote was taken in the Punjab Assembly, the votes of the Congress and the Muslim League were equal. On this occasion, the Christian Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Duran Bahadur SP Sanga, cast his decisive vote and decided the division of Punjab in favor of the Muslim League. Thus, present-day Punjab became a part of Pakistan and from here, injustices against its Christian benefactors began. When the first session of the Punjab Assembly was held after the formation of Pakistan, SP Sanga, who had cast a casting vote for Punjab was removed from office through a no-confidence motion.The reason was that no non-Muslim can be the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly This tradition still persists today. in the Punjab Assembly. On the contrary, the Balochistan Assembly elected Bashir Masih as Deputy Speaker in (1993/1996). On June 23, 2025, the Sindh Assembly made some concessions to the Christians by making Naveed Anthony the Deputy Speaker.
While the current Chief Minister of Punjab has completely ignored Christians in her cabinet, making Ramesh Singh Rora a minister and telling Christians their fate.Regardless of the fact that in the constituencies of Lahore from which Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz and herself contested elections and reached the post of Chief Minister, the number of Sikh votes is only 88 while the number of Christian voters is 336139.Similarly, if I mention the total population of Punjab, 81% of the Christian population, which is approximately 2.6 million, is located in Punjab, while the total population of Sikhs in Punjab is 5,500. Your wise decision is beyond our understanding.
In 1972, Christian educational institutions across the country were taken under national custody, however, after a few years of review, other provinces returned these educational institutions to their original owners, while 75% of Christian educational institutions in Punjab are still under the administration of the Punjab government, and there is no plan under consideration for their return. Church properties worth trillions of rupees in Punjab are in the possession of land mafia and the Punjab government has no interest in recovering them. 90% of the attacks on Christian settlements and churches including religious intolerance and injustice against Pakistani Christians have occurred in Punjab.
Published in the CSJ publication "Human Rights Observer", the report details 113 attacks on Christian properties and places of worship, particularly in Punjab. According to data collected by the Institute for Social Justice, Punjab has a long history of violent attacks. From 1997 to 2016, 51 attacks on Christian communities and churches were reported, including 15 terrorist attacks and others carried out by mobs. These attacks resulted in damage to 69 churches and over a thousand homes.138 Christians were killed. In addition, 23 Christians were extrajudicially killed by mobs after being accused of takfir, while hundreds were injured.
Here are some brief descriptions of the incidents On October 28, 2001, 16 people, including children, were killed in an attack by armed men on a church in the southern city of Bahawalpur in Punjab province
In August 2002, five people were killed in an attack by armed men on a missionary school run by foreigners in Murree. No foreigners were among the dead.
In August 2002, four women were killed in an attack on the Presbyterian Hospital church in Taxila. On December 25, 2002, on Christmas Eve, a grenade attack on a church in Daska, Punjab, killed three Christian girls and injured several women.
Refers to the attacks on the Christian villages of Shanti Nagar and Tabba near Khanewal, Punjab, on February 5, 2005, where a large Muslim mob burned down homes and churches. The violence began when loudspeakers blared accusations against the local Christian community for desecrating the Quran. The attacks resulted in the destruction of more than 700 homes, four churches, and the displacement of thousands of Christians from their villages.
On August 1, 2009, an angry Muslim mob attacked the Christian community of Gojra, a town in Toba Tek Singh, in one of the deadliest attacks on Christians in Pakistan's history. On July 25, 2009, more than 100 Christian homes were looted and set on fire in Gojra after a Christian allegedly desecrated the Holy Quran. Eight Christians were also burned alive during the riots.
In March 2013, a Christian from Joseph Colony, a predominantly Christian neighborhood in Lahore, was accused of blasphemy. Following the accusation, an estimated 3,000 Muslim mob attacked the Christian neighborhood and burned down 150 homes.
On November 4, 2014, a Christian couple, Shahzad Masih, aged 32, and his wife Mrs. Shama, aged 30, were severely beaten and thrown into a burning kiln by an angry mob of about 2,000 to 3,000 people. The mob was instigated by the owner of a kiln in Kasur district of Punjab province.
According to an official report on August 16 2023, an angry mob in Jaranwala and its surroundings set fire to and vandalized 86 houses, in addition to 26 churches and Christian places of worship.
In the lines above, I have explained that all the accused involved in the incidents have been released due to lack of evidence and poor police investigation. The surprising thing is that in such sensitive cases, the police investigation was poor and modern technical equipment was not used. This clearly shows the government's lack of interest.
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"Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" By Nazir S Bhatti
On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.