Asia News | Aug. 27, 2019
Christian live in a slum near a bus station in Pakki Mar. The price of land has risen and the Mehmood brothers, wealthy landowners, want to make money from development. The local Christian community has lived in the area for 125 years. Under Pakistani law, they are entitled to ownership after a hundred years.
Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – About 30 Christian families living in a slum near Pakki Mari, Faisalabad, are afraid of losing their homes following threats from two powerful Muslim politicians. The slum is also home to about 70 Muslim families, but they did not receive any pressure.
The two politicians are brothers, Rana Asad Mehmood and Rana Aizad Mehmood, wealthy landowners and members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“The two brothers threaten to take our lands through their land grabbing henchmen,” said Maqbool Masih, a Christian slum resident, speaking to AsiaNews.
“Christians have lived in this area for 125 years. The area is owned by the federal government who assigned them this area, declaring it a shanty (Katchi Abadi) town for the poor.”