by Daud Zafar
Introduction
The creation of Pakistan in 1947 was envisioned as a homeland for Muslims seeking religious and political freedom. Yet, alongside this vision, the Christian community played a significant role in shaping the nation’s social, educational, and healthcare landscape. Missionaries, clergy, and local Christian leaders contributed to education, hospitals, social welfare, and civic engagement. From early ministers to influential figures like Bishop John, Christians supported the fledgling state while advocating for minority rights.
Despite these contributions, Christians gradually faced marginalization. Legal frameworks, political shifts, and societal attitudes increasingly disadvantaged them. Over decades, systemic discrimination and persecution have become defining features of the Christian experience in Pakistan.
Early Christian Contributions and Leadership
Missionaries and Community Leaders
Before independence, missionaries established schools, hospitals, and welfare organizations. These served both Muslim and non-Muslim populations, laying foundations for education and social progress. Local Christian leaders worked with political authorities to ensure recognition of minority rights in the new state.
Political Participation
Christians engaged in debates over constitutional frameworks, education policy, and healthcare, aiming for equal treatment and protection under law.
Bishop John
Bishop John emerged as a central figure. He advocated for Christian communities, documented abuses, and lobbied for safeguards, ensuring Christian voices were heard at government levels.
Yet, the early years of Pakistan were marked by upheaval and communal violence, posing immediate challenges to minorities.
Christian Experience During Pakistan’s Early Years
Partition Challenges
During the 1947–48 migrations, Christian communities suffered losses of homes, property, and businesses. Many families were uprooted and displaced.
Legal Vulnerabilities
The early legal framework inadequately protected minorities, leaving Christians disadvantaged in administrative and judicial processes.
Political Shifts
After Quaid-e-Azam’s death in 1948, Christian influence declined. Rising Islamic conservatism and shifting alliances weakened their ability to secure protections.
These early years created a foundation of vulnerability that deepened over time.
Enforcement of Sharia and the Rise of Blasphemy Laws
The First Blasphemy Case
One of the earliest blasphemy cases involved a Christian, signaling the beginning of systemic legal targeting of minorities.
Legal Escalation
Over time, stricter Sharia-inspired laws left Christians exposed to false accusations, imprisonment, and mob violence.
Impact on Daily Life
Churches and Christian institutions faced restrictions. Many Christians lived under constant fear of legal harassment or violent attacks.
This period marked a turning point, as the legal system itself became a source of oppression.
The Bhutto Era and Systemic Persecution
During Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s rule (1971–1977), religious minorities faced new challenges:
Legal and Administrative Neglect: Complaints of discrimination were ignored or delayed, limiting justice.
Societal Discrimination: Christians increasingly faced harassment, marginalization, and intimidation.
Restricted Institutions: Christian schools and hospitals continued but under tight restrictions, reflecting broader exclusion.
These years demonstrated how state policies and social hostility combined to deepen persecution.
A Personal Account: Leaving Pakistan
Today, many Christians, including myself, find themselves living outside Pakistan — not by choice, but by necessity.
Threats to Life and Property: Families live under intimidation, with homes and businesses at risk of attack.
Vulnerability of Women and Girls: Fear of abduction, harassment, or forced conversion is constant.
Economic Obstacles: Discrimination in jobs, education, and courts blocks access to livelihoods and justice.
Living with dignity and safety has become nearly impossible. For countless Christians, emigration is not a preference but a desperate act of survival.
The story of Christians in Pakistan is one of deep paradox: a community that helped build the nation has been systematically marginalized within it. From early contributions to education and healthcare, to decades of discrimination under politicized religious laws, the trajectory is clear — systemic persecution has forced many Christians to live as second-class citizens or leave altogether.
This history is not only about one community. It is about the urgent need for justice, equality, and protection of all minorities in Pakistan. Without genuine reform, the vision of a truly inclusive nation remains unfulfilled.
