Peshawar [Pakistan], April 7 (ANI): In Pakistan, minority communities — particularly Christians — are facing a grave crisis over burial space, turning mourning into an ordeal and raising serious ethical and human rights concerns, reports The Express Tribune.
Families say they are often forced to bury loved ones in overcrowded graveyards or to reuse old graves. Encroachments by land mafias have further reduced available burial space, and many cemeteries have long exceeded capacity. Historic graveyards such as Gora, Wazir Bagh, Kohati, and Nauthia, established before 1947, were never designed for today’s population; in some cases remains are exhumed to make room for new burials, causing emotional distress and disputes among families.
Despite these risks, many see no alternative. Imran Yousaf Masih, a college lecturer, and Zulfiqar Masih, a government employee, said minorities remain denied basic rights, including proper burial spaces, despite being equal citizens. The problem affects Hindus and Sikhs as well as Christians. Successive governments, including the PTI administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have made promises that activists say remain unfulfilled.
The 2023 census shows minorities make up 3.3% of Pakistan’s population, with significant numbers in Punjab, Sindh, K-P, Islamabad, and Balochistan. Social worker Haroon Sarabdyal told The Express Tribune that funds allocated for minority graveyards have not produced tangible results. He criticised proposals to allocate burial land in remote areas, which would hinder access and raise security concerns. The absence of minority representation in the K-P government leaves communities without a direct voice, and government officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment, The Express Tribune reported. (ANI)
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