Pakistan’s President Takes Notice of “Systematic Discrimination” Against Christians in Aid Distribution

By Asif Aqeel, September 2, 2010

On September 1, Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, took actions to fix discrimination against religious minorities that are affected by the flood,[i] after media reports and ECLJ’s office in Lahore brought this to the President’s attention.

Among the media reports was a statement by the Vatican, which asserted that the Pakistani government was systematically discriminating against Christians by directing aid distribution and allocation of relief to certain locations.[ii] Roughly 200,000 Christians in the Punjab province and roughly 600,000 Christians and Hindus in the Sindh province have been effected severely by the flood.[iii] According to the report, a local aid worker found that, “the Christian refugees are often ignored. They are purposely not identified and registered. Thus, they are automatically excluded from any health care or food, as they supposedly do not exist.”[iv]

While our team was working with Kumar Periasamy, Operation Blessing’s Director of International Operations, in Sukkur, we found that Hindus and Christian minorities were discriminated in government’s relief work. The President distributed checks among the affected people, but no members of the minority communities were among who received the checks. Our staff informed Farhatullah Babar, President’s Spokesperson, of this discrimination and the next day President Zardari took notice and instructed the government officials not to allow any such discrimination.

On the same day, September 1, Yousuf Raza Gillani, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, said that the economic losses inflicted by the floods were estimated at $43 billion. He said that floods have affected 79 districts out of 124 districts of the country and the devastation might affect revenue collection and increase expenses, which will result in widening the budget deficit. Gillani continued, stating that inflation might rise to a stifling 20 percent due to crop destruction. He also said that job and income losses will have “serious social implications” and a shortage in food supply is likely. Finally, Gillani added that funding will be needed for schools, as more than 10,000 school buildings have been affected in the floods.[v]

The Information Minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, weighed in on the situation and stated that 20 million people were affected and 1.2 million houses were damaged by the floods, while 1,000 bridges and 400 kilometer long roads have been washed away.

Furthermore, while the country dealing with the worst catastrophe in its 63 year history, terrorists are using the situation to strike their targets. For instance, three bombings were reported on September 1. Two of the attacks were confirmed as suicide attacks on Shiites, the minority sect of Islam, in the city of Lahore. The terrorist attacks lead to, at the minimum, 37 deaths and another 200 injured.[vi]

Religious minorities have very little space to lead normal lives midst terrorism, extremism, and discrimination in Pakistan. The catastrophic floods will have lasting impact on religious minorities in these circumstances.

Asif Aqeel is the Executive Director of European Center for Law and Justice’s (ECLJ) office in Lahore, Pakistan. Following is the article by Asif on the recent floods in Pakistan and the Pakistani Government’s response to protect the Pakistani citizens.

[i]Probe Ordered into Aid Denial to Minorities, Daily Times, Sept. 2, 2010, available at
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/.

[ii] American Free Press, Pakistani Christians Face Aid Discrimination: Vatican, Dawn, Aug. 26, 2010, available at
http://www.dawn.com/.

[iii] Pakistani’s Face Aid Discrimination, ZeeNews, Aug. 26, 2010, available at
http://www.zeenews.com/.

[iv] Id.

[v] Ahmad Hassan, Flood Loss Estimates to Rise to $43Bn, Dawn, Aug. 26, 2010, available at 
http://www.dawn.com.

[vi] Death Toll in Lahore Rises to 37, The News, , Sept. 2, 2010, available at 
http://www.thenews.com.pk/.