Shahkot: Christian tombs desecrated by a real estate company

The Muslim Rana Ahmad Raza wanted to build a road through a 100 year old cemetery. A group of believers discovered the bulldozers and organised a protest. The police restored order and allowed the burial of a body.

Shahkot (AsiaNews) - Yesterday a dozen Christian graves were desecrated by a Muslim who wanted to build a road to reach his real estate company in Shahkot, near Lahore. For the Muslim businessman it was necessary for the road to pass through a Christian cemetery that has been there for a century. 

A group of worshippers had gone to the cemetery to bury a body and found a group of people digging and levelling the gravestones with a bulldozer. The Christians were then prevented from burying the body in the cemetery. 

The faithful immediately organised a protest: they gathered on Sheikhupura Road, stopping traffic and demanding serious action against the culprits. The traffic police then intervened and assured them that they would take action. 

Ashiq Masih later filed an initial report against Rana Ahmad Raza, the Muslim owner of the real estate company who ordered his men to dig in the cemetery.

Interviewed by AsiaNews, Alyas Sohtra, president of the Global Sohtra Association, said that all Christians felt distressed by this affair: "We condemn the act and demand justice from the government so that religious minorities can feel safe in Pakistan". 

"I am grateful to the Christians who united to defend their rights and to the police who stopped the work in the cemetery," Sohtra added. Officers cleared the occupied site and helped worshippers bury the body in the cemetery.

• paksitan
• christians
• muslims
• graves
• cemetery
• tombstones
• housing society
• protest
• rights
• religious minorities