Human rights body raises concern over eviction of Christians by land mafia in Pakistan's Punjab
Christian farmers are being evicted from their lands by the mafia in Pakistan's Punjab, and the provincial government appears to be a silent spectator, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said on Wednesday.
Also Read | Five persons, including a Christian, arrested on blasphemy charges in Pakistan's Punjab
After conducting a fact-finding investigation on a complaint of the pastor of Church Derek Abad, the HRCP said that the Christian community's farmland has been occupied in Kot Addu, some 400 kms from Lahore.
The commission said it has found an alarming rise in Christians' farmland being occupied by local land mafias and a consistent failure by the state to uphold court rulings that protect these vulnerable farmers.
The Christian farmers informed the HRCP that their writ petition is pending in the Lahore High Court, which has issued a stay order to prevent any evictions. They said they are still awaiting land allotment letters, following judgments in their favour.
The HRCP said it is concerned that in the absence of such documentation, the farmers will lose the little land they currently cultivate.
"This will leave them vulnerable to forced displacement and without a source of income, increasing their risk of falling deeper into poverty."
The rights group also urged the Punjab government to issue land allotment letters to all eligible farmers in Derek Abad.
"The government must also take decisive legal action against land mafias and individuals involved in unlawful evictions and provide urgent protection to the affected families to ensure that they can live and work without fear of reprisal. As Christians, this community is doubly vulnerable and deserves recognition, legal protection and restitution for decades of state neglect," the commission said.
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