ICC Note:

Christians in Pakistan have been protesting the government’s plans to “grab” church lands in the city of Lahore. According to local reports, the government plans to build an underground metro line in Lahore that will run through four historic church properties. The announcement of this plan sparked protests among Christians who fear the churches will be demolished if the plans move forward. Three of the four churches are older than Pakistan itself and many Christians argue are important to the cultural heritage of the city of Lahore. 

5/9/2016 Pakistan (Express) – Christians in Pakistan have launched a campaign to “save” their churches amid fears they could be destroyed by officials to make way for an underground line.

Worshippers took to the streets after rumors emerged that the country’s Islamist government was planning to seize and destroy four historic places of worship during the construction process.

Brave parishioners risked potential violence and arrest as they took to the streets to fight for their churches, holding aloft banners and chanting “we don’t give an inch of our holy places” and “we want our rights”.

Officials insist that the places of worship – which lie directly on the path of the new underground line – will not be harmed in any way by the project and denied accusations they are planning to seize and destroy the buildings.

The four churches concerned – Cathedral Church, Noulakha Church, St Andrew’s Church and St Paul’s Presbyterian Church – are all in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, where a Taliban bombing at a playground in Lahore on Easter Sunday killed 69 Christians.

But despite the reassuring noises coming out, campaigners have expressed extreme reservations about the government’s intentions given its dire record on protecting Christians.

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