Running Head: CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD1 Conditions of Christian Minority in Pakistan focusing Youhanabad Muhammad Ali Muhammad Maqbool Mehreen Hamza Nida Nabeel Samra Zafar Ms. Rumessa Naqvi Academic Writing 204 April 12, 2010 Lahore School of Economics CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 2 Acknowledgements First, we would like to thank the Almighty God for giving us the courage to complete all the tasks at time. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Rumessa Naqvi, for motivating us to undertake such a rigorous research project concerning a serious issue of our country. Further, we would like to offer special thanks to Mr. Amanat John, a resident of Youhanabad for being our guide on the tours to the vicinity. T. Tariq Javed Tariq deserves a thank you as he took his time out from his busy schedule to discuss the issues prevailing at Youhanabad. Mr. Zafar Iqbal, for arranging appointments with Amanat John and the ExNazim at Youhanabad. A special round of applause for all of us in joining hands together and helping each other at every corner to make this research a success. Name Muhammad Ali Domain Employment discrimination & Government perspective on infrastructural problems Mehreen Hamza Muhammad Maqbool Nida Nabeel Samra Zafar Educational Problems Crimes and Drug Addiction Infrastructure and Facilites Discrimination faced by Christian citizens CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 3 Abstract Majority of Christians in Pakistan experience life as nobodies and are de facto second-class citizens subject to discrimination, depression and violence. This research paper gives an analysis of the conditions of Christians living in Pakistan in general and Youhanabad in particular. Unfortunately, the government of Pakistan has never succeeded in providing the Christian minority with suitable rights they deserve as the citizens of our country. Youhanabad, one of the largest Christian colonies in Lahore is no exception to this and encounters an assortment of problems. It faces basic infrastructural problems grouped with discrimination, lack of healthy education system and unemployment leading to drug addiction and crimes. With the help of research tools and literature, detailed evaluations of the problems and recommendations have been presented in this paper. economical. let it be social. we are going to research a Christian populated colony called ³Youhanabad.´ This research projects the terrible conditions of majority Christians of Youhanabad and investigation of causes and effects of these problems on their lives during the periods of 2006-2010. To further narrow down our research and bring about desired results and improvements. True that at this time almost all communities in Pakistan are facing economical tensions but these communities with soaring prices are also facing soaring discrimination in the society. crimes. Having this intuition. discriminatory acts . which by law enjoys equal rights with the Muslims but perhaps on real grounds faces different treatment to what is written on papers. it is not us who wish to talk about Christians and their problems but many researchers have already thrown light on problems faced by the Christian minority in Pakistan. we keep on trying to solve many problems at hand which we are capable of. the government to come in and make things better. we are not able to solve our probl ms e ourselves and we might need some external intervention e.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 4 Conditions of Christian minority in Pakistan focusing Youhanabad and recommendations for the improvement of this society Problems are everywhere around us. employment. The Scope of this research was to find out the problems that the Christian minorities are facing. Literature Review While carrying out the research. we thought of a minority of people living in Pakistan. To cover all aspects of the Christian society we divided the whole research into five domains discrimination. Again. a major chunk of second-hand information was collected through published articles by various authors giving their perspectives on policies of the government towards the religious minorities (mainly Christians). Since we need to make our lives easier. environmental or financial. education. But sometimes. The major importance of this intensive research is to identify the related authorities about the terrible conditions of the Christian minorities in general and Youhanabad in particular through the voice of those getting affected at all times. and recommendations. The aim is not to just keep our work on paper rather make it accessible to authorities and people at large so that they may know what¶s going on with these people and work together for the betterment of this area and its people.g. infrastructure. The author says that if the government fails to provide them religious freedom then they themselves have to take action against that because their children are suffering badly from the prevailing scenario. being a Christian means he/she is a second-class low waged janitor when it . (2009) talks about non. it was obvious that Christians are discriminated right from the school level and moving forward in the organizations and society. The act of violence briefly brought the international attention to the plight of Christian community in Pakistan. P.Muslim students being forced to study the religious textbooks of other faiths mainly Islam in article ³National educational policy 2009 infringes religious freedom of Non-Muslims Students´ which imposes Islamic studies on non-Muslim students in the country.com. It took three days for the law enforcement authorities to bring conditions to normal. Mackay M. talented.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 5 done socially and professionally at different levels and also the causes and effects of these acts towards the society. All this violence was committed only on the fake accusation that the Christians had done the acts of blasphemy. Jacob. Another well-publicized case that recently came to the light was that of Youhanabad known as Shazia case. This shows the helplessness of the Christian community in Pakistan. Christians in Pakistan who are educated. (2009) talks about Gojra incident that took place on August 3. 2009 was one of the most violent act committed in the history of Pakistan in which more than 80 Christian men and women were killed and their properties burned down. Advocate Muhammad Naeem was accused of murdering and rapping Shazia of Youhanabad. and willing to work for their betterment are also discriminated by narrow-minded employers of Pakistan and this situation has been presented in another article at Christiantoday. The estimated death toll was above 80 and properties worth millions were left burned down to the ground. One of them was the Gojra incident and the other was Shazia case. According to her. Peter Jacob as the executive secretary of the National Commission for Peace and Justice (NCJP) hence appeals to Supreme Court to take suitable action regarding the problem. Gregory S. From the articles. (2006) mentions in her article that the US-based human rights group International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Christians in Pakistan continue to experience discrimination from a majority of employers just as Africans had it from Americans before the Civil Rights Movement. until now no positive actions was taken on the part of law enforcing bodies and the culprits has not been punished to the extent of the crime. deprives them of good jobs even being intellectually wise and fit for the job. Secondly. She is mainly talking about narrow minded. which creates further problems for the non-Muslim students. She also talks about them being discriminated at government level for they are not allowed to be the speaker of the National Assembly nor the chief of Army staff. The evidences used by Jacob are quite valid. but this policy is not in conformity with Article 20 and 22 of the constitution of Pakistan. Research Questions Primary Research Question . At large. as with HR laws properly applied in an organization minimizes the discrimination and encourages living together as colleagues and not religious fanatics. due to lack of education are unable to recognize the talent and look up on these people based on their religion. Being a religious minority. They should be free to study whatever they want. On the other hand. it is well assumed that the Christian minority does face discrimination at local and national level proven by different acts in the society. which gives complete religious freedom to the minority. and corrupted employers who. it is the very basic right of every person to practice its own religion. The Christian minority as well as other minorities should be given liberty to take their religious subjects in their schools and other religious subjects should not be made compulsory for them. The author is giving a logical argument that the authorities are not paying much attention to the syllabi of religious books that are being taught in the institutions. However. but it cannot be generalized to all the organizations. these people having Christian surnames. Mackay¶s point is true at some level. he refers to the constitution of Pakistan. It was further explicated by surveys and interactions with many effected Christian citizens as well as authorities.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 6 comes to get employment in any organization. Same argument has been put forward by Gregory in his article where he talks about Christian citizens being classified as de-facto second-class citizens. organizations with strict Human Resource laws enforced have excellent conditions when it comes to interaction at peer-to-peer level. low profile. after the critical review of all the articles. keeping in view the convenience level. was 30. Questionnaires were distributed comprising 15 questions aiming to identify and improve the problems prevailing in Youhanabad. what are the reasons for that? 6) What changes should be brought for these people to enjoy good employment benefits? 7) How is the infrastructure and facilities of Youhanabad in contrast with the infrastructure and facilities of other areas of Lahore? 8) Does the government or any other officials take any interest in the development of Youhanabad? 9) Are there any medical facilities in Youhanabad and if so are they good enough? 10) How are the Christian people of this area treated by other people? 11) How is this community generally perceived socially? 12) Do the other communities care for these people¶s interests. . values and traditions? 13) What is the general review of crime and other illegal activities taking place in Youhanabad? 14) What is the root cause of such activities originating from Youhanabad? 15) What steps should be taken to control such activities? Method The sample size selected. Subsidiary Research Questions 1) Are the students of Youhanabad studying Islamic studies prescribed by the government and how they are coping with that? 2) Are their public or private schools in Youhanabad? 3) How well developed the schools are in Youhanabad in contrast to other schools in the city? 4) What sort of employment do the people of Youhanabad mostly go towards? Do they face discrimination at employment? 5) Are they able to get good employments? If not.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 7 Conditions of Christian minority in Pakistan focusing Youhanabad and recommendations for the improvement of this society. All questionnaires were distributed amongst the local public at Youhanabad. human mind supersedes all other analytical tools which was used the most in observing and evaluating the situation and proposing recommendations. Furthermore. pie charts. Tariq Javed Tariq. the questionnaires were also distributed among the local people of the area and the results of these questionnaires have been summarized using bar charts. surroundings. There is no country in the world where the whole population consists of one social group. Tally charts were considered to record the responses from the questionnaires through which the figures. it was made sure to use a video camera (with interviewee¶s permission) and used these videos for better analysis of the situation. and the local law enforcement authorities. T. It is so shameful to see that our religion. Our observation about the area. five trips were made to Youhanabad in which interviews were recorded with the local residents. and graphs in the appendix. . and many other locals from Youhanabad. Of course. Islam is the religion of peace and teaches equality. and religion. It has always been the case that where ever a person or a group who is weak and low in numbers is most likely to face discrimination. St. These video clips and recordings have been added in a DVD for the instructor¶s further use and analysis.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 8 In the research conducted. color. and charts were designed to support the arguments presented in the paper. authentic Christian forums online were utilized for the articles and various sources from the internet. school principal. From the start of time discrimination is one aspect of life that has haunted man. Besides. and people around was recorded using video cameras and notes were jotted down on notebooks to assist in the research. Islam preaches not to judge people based on cast. Jennie Williams. videos were watched carefully while analyzing the situation according to respondents¶ point of views. Of course. Analysis of Data and Discussion Discrimination of Christians in Youhanabad Man was born free but chained in life. interviews with the Ex-Nazim of the area. During the interview. graphs. Microsoft Excel 2007 served the purpose in this regard. For primary research. Ms. school children. School principal.John Model High School. the research includes clippings from articles published in Dawn News. Whether it is from the planes of Africa to the deserts of Arabia man has suffered at the hands of man. Islam. and to make this research reliable. For secondary research. and authentic. Christians are minority here in Pakistan but that is not the case in Youhanabad. they were the ones who were discriminated After Pakistan came into being Quid-eAzam wanted to make sure that the minorities in Pakistan did not suffer the way the Muslims did that is why he said: Minorities to which communities they may belong. He told that his brother-in-law was refused the job even though he was . not to mention. the opposite is happening in our society. The main ideology of Pakistan was that Muslims were suffering at the hands of the majority Hindus and demanded a separate nation. If yes. Thousands of Christians are living in this area. and culture. The Christians are indeed a silent minority of Pakistan and they existed as people who were stereotyped and taken for granted by the mainstream majority. The Christians residents of Youhanabad are not socially accepted which is quite evident from that Christian community as they become target of religious hatred and are dishonored. Their living standards are poor. The section of Islamic clauses includes a clause that says that minorities are ensured to have fundamental rights and security. It is a very congested area. 2004) The flag of Pakistan also indicates what Quid-e-Azam said. then what causes such discrimination with the Christian minority? To find the answers for these Questions a visit was paid to Youhanabad.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 9 teaches a lot on the issue of treatment with minorities and it is in Islam itself that the rights of fellow Non-Muslims should be protected more than ones¶ own rights. but sadly. The white colored portion on the left side depicts minorities being a solid part of the nation. Once Muslims of India were considered minority. their life. Amanat John. The main objective of this research is to find that whether the Christians are facing discrimination. they don¶t get the equal opportunity of employment and not even the political. Youhanabad is a poor Christian settlement on the fringes of Lahore. their religion or faith or belief will be secure. 41. and social rights and this is what has been discussed in this section. civil. belittled. their faith. They will have full protection with regard to their religion. will be fully safeguarded. a resident of Youhanabad and a guide for this visit. That is what the constitution of Pakistan says as well. There will be no interference of any kind with their freedom of worship. (Pakistan studies Class 8th. and ridiculed at every opportunity. March 15. It was shocking to see that a Muslims who was trying to criticize Christianity. She belongs to a poor Christian family. the author who tried to posed Christianity as a fake religion. This can be justified by the conversation that was held with a girl named Fozia. He replied.H said that religious intolerance is present in our society but he has never being subjected to it until a while ago when a few Muslims boys come to Youhanabad and distributed a small book in which they tried to ruin the basic but the most important Christianity belief which is that Jesus Christ is the son of the Lord and Mary was virgin when she gave birth to him (see appendix-picture D ).CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 10 fulfilling the requisite criteria and the main reason of refusal was that the part of his name was´ Masih´ which reflected he belonged to a Christian community. Therefore.´ (Personal communication. She was 15 year old when she started working as a house cleaner with her mother and now she is 20. The behavior towards us is very harsh. Thus we tend to stay out of such matters. In this book. did not even have that basic knowledge of islam which clearly teaches . John A. Mostly we are given sweeping and cleaning related jobs which Muslim maids refuse to do and also we are not offered to do kitchen associated work´ For further research we met a retired Pakistan Air force pilot named Saleem bahadur to also know his perspective about discrimination and he said:´ in my opinion it is only the state of mind or kind of thoughts that one person have otherwise I never felt discriminated throughout my 45 years of serve in the Air force due to my religion. Her mother and one of her sisters do domestic work in the houses on wages. While sharing her bitter experience she said. I was given the equal opportunities in my whole career purely on my merit basis´ It was disappointing to know that Muslims engaged in such discriminating act as Saleem B. ³If any discriminating act is taking place we tend not to interfere there because we are scared that we might also be involved and become the target of the violence that is already taking place. She had four brother and three sisters. he become the target of discrimination. dressed in dirty shalwar kameez. 2010) Apart from the social discrimination Christian women who are working as housemaids are also highly discriminated by the Muslim families. Amanat was asked if he had ever tried to stop such discriminating act. ³We are looked down upon by our employers and we are underpaid as compare to the amount of physical labor we do. said Sister Jenny Williams. To produce an educated and successful future generation it is very important to have the present generation educated as . The statistics of survey conducted and the compiled post survey results are making it evident that Christians are a victim of discrimination and they are facing it at all levels including institutional. From our research on the topic the end conclusion that can be made is that Yes. there are people who are facing intense violence on the basis of their religion at the hands of the Muslim majority.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 11 that Hazrat Issa¶s birth to Hazrat Maryam was a miracle of ALLAH. But from the interview with Amanat John we got the picture that all Christians are facing discrimination in all fields and that Muslim majority only gave preference to fellow Muslims and not to other minority especially Christians. ³Well being an educationist believe that with the increase in literacy rate this social menace of discrimination is being minimized . She also said that even if we are the second citizen of the country but we should serve for our Pakistan.´ Our country is facing various Economic and domestic issues and the continuation of these discriminating acts is not helping solve the problem. we concluded that discrimination was present for discriminate s sake. there is discrimination present in the society and yes. Well after the interview with Saleem Bahadur it was quite evident that there were two sides of the picture and that one of them was that not all Christians were facing discriminating acts and that it was more of the perspective of thought that was being followed rather than the evident truth. In reality. Educational Problems in Youhanabad Education is considered as one of the most important things in today¶s world. there is an educated class present in the societies who do not judge people based on their cast. and religion but based on their qualities how they tackle various issues in daily life. History has witnessed how the educated nations had reached the heights of success whereas the uneducated nations were crushed to their decline. Then we visit to a catholic school to find out more facts regarding to our domains. After seeing such evidences. creed. the principal of Saint John Model school for boys in Youhanabad. color. social level. However.if not. there are more important issues present then the ones that have been ³made. completely eradicated . In addition. A country can only expect a good future if its people are educated enough to meet the severe challenges. Government. 90% of the interviewees supported the subject that Christians are facing discrimination. Moreover.) The salary scale of the teachers is quite shocking. which shows clearly the ignorant attitude of government towards the Christian sector. March 15. ³Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it´ (Marian Wright Edelman. Sister Jennie Williams.3000 to Rs. that most of the teachers who are teaching in Youhanabad are residents of Youhanabad. They pay them increments and . Yet one should be very impressed by just looking at the quantity of schools but the reality is quite different. 2010. But the conditions are not sa me everywhere. 2010. In some schools. The reason behind is. without other educational facilities and most important without the quality education the children need.1 million and has 35 to 40 schools with not even a single college. The shocking thing is that all the schools operating there are private schools without a single public school. American activist for the rights of children). in fact they are the alumni of the schools they are teaching in and because they at their times had the same educational conditions that¶s why today majority of them are unable to get jobs out of youhanabad at any renowned institutions. schools are present there but without proper school buildings. Within Youhanabad there are both English and Urdu medium schools. are the minorities living in Pakistan have the same chances to get their children educated properly? Youhanabad as considered the largest Christian settlement. April 7. Most of them are getting from Rs. 1939). the situation does not seem very satisfactory. She further said that now the government has ordered to end the Urdu medium system so they have to make the school English medium at all levels (personal communication. So the most important question is this regard is.3500 monthly. Yes.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 12 well. it was so encouraging to see that the people of Youhanabad are so willing to send their children to schools. the qualification of the teachers is just matric or intermediate. According to ex-nazim of Youhanabad Tariq Javed Tariq it is sad to see that the teachers who are teaching the matricular classes are themselves matric and intermediate qualified (personal communication. On the other hand. a principal of St.) Particularly talking about the teachers who are teaching in Youhanabad. Sister Jennie Williams told that they take good care of their school staff. Cathedral School in Youhanabad told that on the demand of the parents they made the school English medium at the nursery level. with a population more than 0. But in Pakistan we have unfortunately a very low literacy rate and the situation is even worse in the minorities. there are only handfuls of teachers who are bachelors. Students of the schools of Youhanabad comprise both boys and girls. which is being used. 2010. 2010. it has been proved with the help of the questionnaire filled by the people in Youhanabad. no labs and no libraries (personal communication. social studies and science subjects. T. 2010.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 13 even the provident funds.nazim of Youhanabad mentioned that there are no proper facilities in schools: No playgrounds. March 15. they have to hire a Muslim Teacher for the subjects of Islamic Studies and Arabic as they have some muslim students in the schools as .) Although the facilities present in the schools are not enough. the ex. According to residents of Youhanabad. According to Sister Jennie William.( See appendix A. Tariq Javed Tariq. their answer was ³No. is in accordance with it. The students are quite bold and friendly. the subjects being taught are English. Also Islamic studies are not being compelled on the students by the authorities. Figure B). As most of the schools of Youhanabad are affiliated with Punjab Board. The strangest thing to see was a boy of class seven who could use English words like ³yeah´ (which he frequently was using) but that boy was unable to spell the name of his school.) He was actually right because the lack of facilities in most of the schools is a big hindrance in the provision of effective education to students. the syllabus of different schools varies from one another (personal communication. March 15. it was encouraging to see in some schools that the students do participate in the extra curricular activities that are held inside and outside Youhanabad and such competitions mainly include letter writing and art competitions. But I do not find it a well justified point because though experience counts a lot but the students of Youhanabad need an effective guidance of educated people rather the guidance of those people who are working there for the sake of working.) Their reply is completely justified because it completely depends on the choice of individuals if they want to study the books on other religion or not. so the curriculum. As there are no colleges in Youhanabad so. Her schools is 35 to 40 years old and they have some teachers who are working there are for 25 years (personal communication. 2010.) But again there are some matric and F.A passed teachers to whom Sister Jennie William does not want to fire on the basis of their qualification as they have a good experience now. 2010. On the other hand.) Overall. And according to the school authorities their students do an incredible job (personal communication. March 15. When asked from the group of school children in Youhanabad whether they like to study Islamic Studies/Arabic. March 15.´ (Personal communication. April 7. the students have to go out of Youhanabad to get into colleges. 2010.) it was quite evident that the owners of these schools are doing nothing but making money. S. But such steps have not been taken yet which clearly shows the negligence of the government towards this sector. there is not quality of education given to students. one of the schools got an amount of .Bahadur told an interesting story regarding this that once a foreign team visited the schools of Youhanabad.) The residents of Youhanabad do not seem satisfied with the educational conditions of Youhanabad.) The unfortunate thing in this regard is that the funds these schools are getting are not properly being utilized. Schools operating there are either helped by the missionaries or they are being operated privately. Whatever they are getting from government and NGO¶s is not spent on schools but for personal motives. She also told that they (The Christians) want their separate religious syllabus and they did contact the government official in this regard but their demand was rejected on the basis that such kind of system cannot be adopted in Islamic Republic of Pakistan (personal communication. March15. March 15. For instance.) This act by the government is completely unethical.M. 2010. The Christian people hold their separate identity so they have the complete right to practice their religion in Pakistan. March 15. In fact. He further told us that there is a big fraud. It is disappointing to see that the government is playing a nil role in promoting education in Youhanabad. It is quite evident from the fact that there is not even a single public school in Youhanabad. April 7. Even if the government does not own a public place in Youhanabad but they can buy it from the residents. And after that children play for hours without any proper check from the school authorities (personal communication. 2010. according to Mr. They are of the view that despite of the fact that there are many schools in Youhanabad. Tariq Javed Tariq the ex-nazim of Youhanabad told us that during his tenure he several times applied to open at least one public school and one Government College but it was of no use (personal communication. which is going on in some of the schools and that is. On the day of their visit. as it is quite evident from the results of questionnaire. when students go to schools the girls are asked to clean the classrooms first and the boys are asked to do the dusting. Saleem Bahadur the teachers are not well qualified and they are teaching because they believe that it is better to teach than to stay at home.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 14 well. the school authorities moved the whole furniture of the school to some other place and presented their school in a miserable condition in order to gain funds from them (personal communication. 2010. Mr. Tariq Javed Tariq told that there are 3 to 4 schools. In addition.) By looking the overall conditions of education in Youhanabad. books. you are free to go to mosques or to any places of worship in the state of Pakistan. April 7. the basic question. The exnazim of Youhanabad T. Muhammad Ali Jinnah said You are free. we do not realize this loss because we are having all kinds of educational facilities. It is because in Pakistan the affiliation to the religion is more important than the nation. it is so embarrassing for us when the Christian people in Youhanabad asked us that their ancestors have given equal sacrifices for Pakistan so now why are they not getting equal rights. you are free to go to your temples. The areas like Youhanabad are lacking educational facilities and the children living there are lacking quality education. Therefore. which arises in this regard.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 15 rupees 8 million from a NGO (which is quite a generous amount if allocated properly) but the condition of the school was making it hard to believe that this school ever got such an immense amount. 2010. which are actually making a good effort in promoting quality education out of which he specifically mentioned the name of St. In addition. and notebooks. John Cathedral School (personal communication. we generally say that we are treated as second-class citizens there. as Pakistanis are not following the rules of our leader and hence today Pakistan is facing uncertain conditions. 2008) We. (Gregory. is how we can expect the Christian children to give Pakistan a bright future when Pakistan is not giving anything to them in return. Whenever we go outside Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or cast or creed -that has nothing to do with the business of the state«we are starting with this fundamental principle: that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one state«. the dishonesty that is being conducted by the school authorities is contributing a lot to the poor educational conditions in Youhanabad. However. Infrastructural problems at Youhanabad . the situation seems quite displeasing. whatsoever assets the school authorities are getting free from the government are being sold to the students and these things mainly include uniform. Therefore. But we do not realize that we are making the minorities living in Pakistan as second-class citizens too which shows that we are not against oppression but yes we are against it when it comes to us. Christianity and so forth. The area that is discussed in this section is ³Infrastructure and facilities of Youhanabad. the struggles they make. Our religion Islam teaches us equality. which are the rights of citizens n a country no matter what cast or reed they belong to.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 16 Infrastructure are the basic structures necessary for an economy to function it brings to mind the technical structures such as roads. and no white has any precedence over a black and no black has precedence over a white (Pakistan studies. Even with so many people living there the infrastructure and facilities available to the people of Youhanabad are not . the advantages they have. no non-Arab has precedence over an Arab. it tells us about the problems they face. telecommunication and so forth. or color. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said these words on hajatuyal-wida. All human beings are the off springs of Hazarat Adam. From roads to market areas. sewages. Allah and his prophet have made it very clear that all are equal in the eyes of the Lord. There are people who belong to other religions such as Hinduism. the benefits they enjoy. Infrastructure of any community can tell us a lot about the lives of the public and this was proven true in case of Youhanabad. Pakistan is an Islamic country and most of its citizens are Muslim. No Arab has precedence over a non -Arab. Pakistan is a developing country and its infrastructure is still in the developing stages but the conditions in Youhanabad are much worse not only they are facing economical crisis with the rest of the country but these people are also privileged with a total lack of infrastructure and basic facilities such as roads and drainage system. Youhanabad is the largest Christian colony in Lahore. He declared that no human is superior to another or better than another in any way. water supply system. the last sermon. Unfortunately.´ Infrastructure of any community can give you deep insight into the lives of the people living there. from market areas to houses it would not be wrong to say that Youhanabad is a very inadequate community. creed. 2004). Do not treat people based on cast. that is not the case when it comes to the people of the Lord. (Personal communication. They wanted to discuss the bigger problems they face on the daily basis such as unemployment. It is a known fact that everyone has a different opinion but it was disappointing that people of Youhanabad did not consider the lack of infrastructure and facilities as a big problem. of the residences of the Youhanabad seem to think that the conditions of the roads are satisfactory. (See appendix A. which came under the infrastructural problems was the water problem which according to them was the biggest problem. 2010) . Moreover. Because where there should have be roads there are only a wide enough path so the cars could pass (See appendix. When one visits Youhanabad he/she gets to experience firsthand what a lack of infrastructure really means. figure J) A few of people standing around the market areas at the time of the visit were interviewed and those interviews yielded a combination of different results. was dressed in shalwar kamiz.M. religious intolerance. 2010) Saleem B. As soon as a car enters the premises of Youhanabad it bounces high and makes one hit his/her head on the roof of the car. March 15. was the first one to bring forward this problem. the problem is that whenever the water is coming it is not clean enough to drink. survey revealed that in addition to the load shedding of electricity and the load shedding of natural gas. People with resources have dealt with the water problem by privately installing small tube wells in their homes. Sister Jenny Williams. because of lack of infrastructure and facilities people of Youhanabad encounter many problems while going about their daily routine. welcomed us in our home and treated us to a cup of tea while he explained to us how he had dealt with the water problem in the same way. education. Door to door. Interviews also revealed that the shortage of water is not the only problem. The only thing the people talked about with great zeal. load shedding of water is a common occurrence these days in Youhanabad. picture A). age 75. crime rate. (Personal communication. She said that educating the next generation is very important to her and for making children stay at school little more comfortable she has also collected funds and used them to install a small hand pump so the children can have access to clean water in the upcoming summer months. However. March 15. a retired air force officer.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 17 even up to mark. Principal of Saint John Model School for boys in Youhanabad. There was a faint odor in the air. it was not unbearable. After the uncomfortable ride on our first visit to Youhanabad. and there is no proper waste disposal system (See appendix B. age 41. After a few houses. March 15. 2010). household waste and so much more.Amanat John. figure J) Most of the people living in Youhanabad are not what we term as being well of. Because after every few stores there was a clinic. and it was just there indicating that there was waste lying around. whoever stepped into their clinics. which promised good health to. . owner of private business. Youhanabad was littered with plastic bags. They do not have luxurious cars to take them from place to place in matter of seconds. Mr.´ (J. age 41(Personal communication. That is: Precaution is better than cure.Kamram Saleem. It was not like the areas full of garbage was the only place where one found the garbage.´ Replied Mr. At first. Unfortunately. if the roads and the lack of better transportation are taken into account then General hospital is too far away the best option for the people is that they take care of their health as to avoid going to doctors at all. Why should they when it is the most convenient way for them to get rid of their rubbish. there is no one there to stop them from doing it. Sister Jenny William said that the people throw their waste like this because it is convenient. revealed that whenever there is any major medical emergence people do not trust their or their families¶ health to the doctors available in Youhanabad. What do people do about all this junk that is lying around? ³They do not do anything about it. Where do you take the patients in case of emergencies? In addition. it was believed that Youhanabad¶s people are well cared for. In addition. the answer was the same: General hospital. (See appendix A. All of the people replied in the same manner to the following question. 2010).CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 18 Health care is another basic facility. But that cannot be said about all the doctors offered by Youhanabad. picture B). there was an empty plot. The doctors that I take the elder sisters to are very much qualified and seem to know what they our doing. ³Not all the doctors are unqualified. personal communication. and not something. that is not the case with the people of Youhanabad. which will make one cover ones nose. the next thing we noticed was that Youhanabad could not be called a clean community. March 15. Williams. which was dumped with rubbish. About 87% of the people in our sample agree that those emergency cases are taken to the closest government hospital which is General hospital. Tariq was elected as the Nazim for Youhanabad and surrounding towns in 2004. was selected again by the people. the things return to the way they were before the movement just after a few days. Father Yaqub and Father Ashiq along with other few sisters organized a small movement called ³Green and Clean Youhanabad´ which was to create awareness among the people that it is their responsibility to keep Youhanabad clean. She said that she. was approached. the Ex-Nazim or the last Nazim at Youhanabad. what if the children fall into these drains while playing? Are not the citizens aware that these open sewage drains full of dirty water house in them many diseases: such as malaria. This was confirmed with the help of the survey that was carried out by all the members of the group. After splitting up. So are the basis goods like flour. Nazimship has been terminated and there is no immediate incharge of this area currently. the movement turned out to be quite a success because everyone participated in it women and children alike. The most horrifying thought was. Kamran Michael had also been an immediate incharge of this colony some time before. He continued to be the Nazim for 4 years and again in 2008. The drainage pipes seem to be an alien concept when it comes to Youhanabad. sugar. It is the responsibility of the government to take care about the infrastructure and basic facilities provided at residential area. rice. Therefore. The sewage pipes rather drains run along the roads sides full of dirty water and garbage (See appendix. nevertheless. Recently.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 19 There is not only the problem of rubbish lying around where there are children playing but the sanitation system is to up to mark at all either. However. vegetables and so forth available on the numerous general stores doing business in the vicinity? Yes. picture C). we took a sample of five stores and asked them for a few household items. Every basis commodities for daily use are readily available. Tariq J. figure A). Sister Jenny William said that is not the case. he was the first Christian Nazim for any colony in the history of Pakistan. . Kamran Michael was tried to approach several times but it turned out to be mission impossible for due to his busy schedule. dengue fever? People do not seem to care. and interviewed as a last resort that turned out to reveal the inside story of what steps were taken by the government to uplift this area. a meeting could not be arranged. T. Tariq Javed Tariq. According to him. 67% of the people in our sample say yes basis commodities are available in the general store (See appendix A. the provincial minister for minorities Mr. for the development of a main sewage system in Youhanabad. where a handful number of candidates from the Christian minority would be selected for five minority seats in the provincial assemblies and four in the National Assembly. no constructive work was done for this area till 2004.´ said the former Nazim. for instance. the answer was quite political. Khalid Maqbool. said that it is better than before. Only Christian citizens were allowed to vote them and those five Ministers of Provincial Assembly were responsible to take care of Christian colonies in the whole province. houses are build in a very irregular way creating hurdles on the way along the road. (T. then he would not do any constructive work for Christian societies since Christians would not have voted him rather just Christian representatives. and further to worsen the condition. Mansha Sandhu was the MPA from the union including Youhanabad. . As before 2004. Although. any citizen. ³If you had visited Youhanabad in 2004 or before. with the efforts of the catholic church called. personal communication. Tariq. a weak perspective was given by the representative of the government. According to him. when the former Nazim Tariq J. For instance. was able to vote any representative from that area. 2010). the system was changed during President Musharaf¶s reign and a Joint Election system was selected where regardless of religion. Here. there used to be a separate election system in Pakistan. Tariq. from 1955. whether Christian or Muslim. The roads are already uneven in Youhanabad. which encouraged him to work for Christian colonies such as Youhanabad. Mr. personal communication April 7. Therefore. Tariq requested the former Governor. and this time he had Christian voters too. During the interview. Karitaas. this society was formed and till then. when the former Nazim heard us calling the current sewage system as pathetic. according to his answer. (T. Ch. even this sewage system was unavailable and it was because of his team¶s efforts that we could see at least an average sewage system there.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 20 Upon investigating the reasons for such terrible conditions related to infrastructure and facilities at Youhanabad and what government had been doing to uplift the area. Now. due to separate election system. again regardless of religion. when joint election system was introduced. if a Muslim MPA from one these areas¶ unions was selected as an MPA(Member of Provincial Assembly) or MNA (Member of National Assembly). However. it was clearly observed that there was an open sewage system going along the road creating diseases amongst the people around. 2010) The main sewage system in Youhanabad was established in 2004. April 7. the roads would not allow a car to enter the area from the main side. which is used by the majority of the residents. All the respondents of this research expressed that the water coming from WASA was not fit for human consumption. he did not consider his Christian community the only one suffering and it was true since many other colonies in Lahore and all over Pakistan is under-developed. while helping themselves. This was the reason given by the former Nazim where he mentioned that he would request the government many times but government could not meet their expectation due to improper allocation of funds and attention to all the areas. Once again. Here. the residents of the community have made a ³Consumer Usage Community´ which has installed five tube wells for this area. It elates the status of a working individual in the society and makes him/her able to feed his family. ³We. This situation is more prevalent in Government institutions as there is weak enforcement of . and particularly in Youhanabad. it has been observed that based on religion. April 7. Therefore. Likewise. It is not only the Christian community that is suffering but also majority of Muslim population encounters the same problems in Pakistan in many areas. (T. 2010) Government¶s steps for this area were not plausible at all. its water was not fit for human consumption. if this place were visited before 2004. Again. They are called by different other names rather their very own names. being part of the government are also people¶s elected representatives. Employment Discrimination While researching on several domains on the problems of Christian minority in Lahore. has to face discrimination at work place in many respects. Being employed is the best way to make one¶s life better. hence we cannot force them to leave their homes and construct the infrastructure all over again´ said the former Nazim. the Christian minority of Pakistan. personal communication. a very irregular infrastructure was observed in the area. Muslim employees do not eat with them based on their religion while it is very acceptable in terms of Islam. another area of study was found relating to employment of this minority in organizations and home. Employment gives the opportunity to a person to live a respectful and a healthier life.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 21 there were many private estate agencies working in Youhanabad. and due to their corruption. a lame answer was given in this regard from the authority. Tariq. Youhanabad is not the only area with terrible conditions but there is big list of those areas. Unfortunately. Again. The prime reason for him. and because of Christian surnames. personal communication. upper middle and upper class homes. According to the constitution of Pakistan. explained the reasons for such a high unemployment rate at Youhanabad. this situation is minimal. Rani Yousuf or Rani Aunty (as she was called at home). March 20. what else we should do then. a janitor. living there for more than 25 years now. affects and of course possible solutions to bring about prosperity within the rejected communities of our nation.´ she maintained. One such woman at one of the group member¶s home was interviewed to reveal the tragedy urging them to work at low wages in homes. plates and even seats. 2010). Consequently. said Mr. Yousuf. John (personal communication. When individuals from this area go ahead and apply for jobs. the discrimination results in a dark future for this minority and they have no other ways but to resort to evil. which is the greatest example of discrimination at the government level. Employment discrimination at many different places has been taken into consideration to analyze the causes. they might have to arrange separate teacups. Religious fanatics deny jobs to the deserving Christians and thus. M. (R. (2006) mentions the same situation in her article. crude by face. An investigation to figure out the reasons for these women to work in homes as janitors was carried out. . as she further expressed.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 22 Human Resources and human rights¶ laws. as he sarcastically exploded. we are treated in the society as untouchables. are denied because these employers do not want a Christian at their work place for which. March 15. glasses. ³No body listens to us. while in multi-nationals and other private organizations where rights of employees are taken special care of . 42. president. He did not have to reveal one reason only but many of them. A considerable number of women are seen working in middle. This intense social discrimination at workplace is the cause of this religious minority left alone at their homes doing nothing constructive about their lives. and chief of army staff. It was further proven true when a locale from the area. minorities are not allowed to be promoted as the Prime minister. 2010). revealed the truth about her husband completing his days in the jail for her husband was not able to find a healthy employment and was arrested in a robbery case. Mackay. she had no other option but to find a low waged job and work as a janitor at a few homes during the daytime. resorting to robbery was not to be able to find the suitable employment that could feed him and his family of five children. . personal communication. The spirit lacks in most of these people. John A. it was explained that these boys could not find any job in the market and therefore were playing around in those areas while their sisters and mothers would have to take the charge and find any way of earning money.. Rather. video game centers. Tariq J. figure F). he established that due to these people not getting proper employment rights. Therefore. On investigating from a locale. Youhanabad. one has to keep on trying until they make it to their destination. April 7. but were just roaming around snooker clubs and video game centers having the psyche that they had no future at all. Due to this fact. March 15. .CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 23 The reason Pakistani Christians do not obtain dignified jobs is not their inability to measure up to the criteria laid down for the jobs. resulting into unemployment and drug addiction. (See Appendix A. success stories tell us that to succeed in life. Christian citizens face a mental trauma of being totally neglected in the society.T. Apparently. while discussing the issues at Youhanabad with Amanat John. which makes their lives miserable. Moreover. due to them being not provided with the rights they deserve. it has been engraved in their minds that they will not be able to prosper in the society and thus engage in permanent inferiority complex. who was interviewed. they should have been studying at colleges or universities. The authority. which ends landing on a janitor job or a brick maker. 2010). and internet cafés. it is the hardened and intolerant mindsets of employers that thwart their upward social mobility. but they were found involved in useless activities. (Ex-Nazim Youhanabad. 70% respondents from the sample survey also supported this argument when they were questioned about the first reason for them to be discriminated and it was religion. they have lost the spirit and are mentally discouraged to struggle. had to make it another reason for the young boys who should have been at colleges or universities at the time of the visit. it was observed that a considerable number of young boys had gathered at snooker clubs. let it be a job or prostitution (John A. in most cases. While visiting the locality. they were college going young boys. The time at which the visit was made. Nevertheless. despite social discrimination. personal communication. mentally not focused to struggle was another major reason for their failure. 2010) Again. For instance. The area that is covered in this section is ³Crimes and Drugs in Youhanabad´. Consequently numerous trips were made to find and research on the happenings in the area but to no effort the desired results were obtained. 6% of respondents were happy. whether it be war or other such related disasters. . what is more shocking is to observe such a large crowd of men . It was not as if everyone was just disappointed. night. it cannot be interpreted that none of them land any jobs. There were different answers based on the respondents¶ experiences. figure L). So in the end it was decided to visit the place when most action took place.6 and going up to Rs. with prices starting from just Rs. they would be called by the name ³Churra´ by the people working there and it is enough to humiliate any one regardless of faith and creed in Pakistani Culture. It is important to note that a comparatively higher percentage (56%) of respondents shared the fact that they were discriminated amongst their fellow colleagues (See. The same streets that are filled with noise of children playing in the daylight are now silenced as men perform their dark arts by selling powder that brings only destruction. Appendix A. 2010) Crimes and Drugs in Youhanabad Through ages man has been the cause of his own destruction. (Ex-Nazim Youhanabad Tariq T.10000. personal communication. April 7. But this is not the horrifying part. Opium. it initiation was conducted by man himself. as they were highly educated and working with multi-nationals where the situation is a lot better than the rest. The first impression of the area of Youhanabad is that it¶s an area with Christian majority present on the outskirts of Lahore. available in almost all its forms.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 24 Enough has been said about Christians not getting into organizations because of their religion. old and young gathered around the vendors of death to buy this powder of destruction. night is dark and quite. unlike the mornings when the streets are bustling with schoolchildren and people going about their routine work. The research team also tried to investigate how are these people treated once they are a part of some organization. but it is not only home to half a million Christians but also a very important spot for most of the drug dealings taking place in the city. However.J. At night Youhanabad is a very different place. for some had not been provided with the rights they deserved as an employee and some had to face discrimination amongst their colleagues while others were disappointed for they were never promoted to higher positions. when such ideas are circulating in the community how do expect our people to get any success in any field . it is not only these young people who face this discrimination but Christians of all ages face this. either they try to engulf their daily life misery by taking drugs or resorting to thievery´. this is the reason that then leads these people to resort to crimes and wrongdoings´.meeting with the authority regarding the matter had to be made. well let me tell you one thing. a resident of youhanabad had this to say. 41. they are here because of the society. it¶s not their fault they are here right now. It¶s not like this that these people are not educated. 45% of the people who were interviewed on the matter were unemployed and almost 63% of families were facing the problem of having a drug addict in their family. The first try was to meet the in charge of the district police station(Nishtar Colony Station) which lies on the Kasur road. After this unsuccessful feat the major objective was now to investigate the local authorities and residents. more than half will understand and reply in English but every day when they leave there house to find employment they end up becoming targets of discrimination and returning home without any jobs or money. unemployment and.(Personal Communication 7th March 2010) . We are referred to as Yahood-oNisara and the mullahs teach not to trust us. what were the reasons that such a mass number of people in a locality were indulged in such vices . a trip was made to the local catholic school: ³Well education will only take you this far (showing a box on her index finger). crimes in the area. but to survive and flourish you need a job and that¶s what these young people are deprived from. 2010) This is true. Now to find out the relationship between education. ³Sir is on duty he won¶t be returning early´. So what is left to be done now. but to utter dismay. to find the answers . ³You must have observed all these young boys standing by the road sides doing nothing when they should be in colleges or doing jobs at this time of the day. the principal of Saint John Model school for boys in Youhanabad. (Personal Communication. empty handed. Amanat John. said Sister Jenny Williams. why? .CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 25 So now the major question the popped up was. February 20. every time the visit was made to the station the same answer came. So this is the whole game plan. Another related problem that came up during this research was that many people complained during interview sessions about the presence of land mafia. On asking the question he replied . and that no proper check and balance was made on the caravans¶ arriving. Now this was quite an odd piece of thought. Uzbekistan etc. Saleem Bahdur. a math teacher in Beaconhouse Garden Town School and regular participant in this gathering was consulted. so to get a second opinion on the matter. Yes . 62. who is and how Youhanabad is being supplied with drugs and to what level is this web of narcotics spread out. the innocent Christian community of Youhanabad is being used and framed by these drug traffickers. the land mafia like the drug mafia is operating very cleanly in the area without any check from the authorities. On conducting the research various unanswered questions popped up. a retired Pakistan Air force pilot . by taking drugs. and it is this very law that is raped by these drug traffickers to get there material into a safe spot where the check and balance of the government is minimal. but I will admit . who were not afraid to share or discuss the matter with us. True that discrimination is present there. that to achieve success you have to look outside the box. Non Muslim communities have no legal barriers on them from the constitution regarding the issue of alcohol or related material. To look into the matter the first thing that was undertaken was the recording of ideas of willing volunteer residents. to research on as the gathering was strictly religious. Now this was another very interesting issue. one such popular idea that circulated was that most of the drugs were brought in from the annual gathering in Raiwand. So now the source of drug transportation was known.(Personal Communication) Now the puzzle was starting to solve itself. drug trafficking might be taking place there as there is no security check there and people come there from all places and origins´. Of course when there is no bread to feed the family and every day the whole family suffers because of a few responsible members there are only two ways left either to resort to illegal way of fulfilling the family¶s needs or to kill oneself by either committing suicide or slowly. but the drug lords involved here have promoted the negative image of these people. It is widely known that the gathering at Riwand is attended by millions of Muslims coming in from Afghanistan. Jamshed Afzal.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 26 It is said. ³Well it¶s not new to hear drugs being associated with such a prestigious gathering . The only major question now that was left was: Why was Youhanabad made the hot spot for the trafficking of these drugs? The answer was simple. Finally the meeting was arranged on the evening of 24th March 2010 with special help from Brigadier Naeem Butt. we take strict action on that issue too´. that what they were doing for the well being of people of Youhanabad. and they just come and empty their houses and drag the families to the street. My men are always patrolling the streets undercover and wherever we sense mischief we arrest those people´. The terms of this meeting were on the basis of keeping the source anonymity and that no electronic gadgets were to be used to record the interview. The Nishtar Colony police station on kasur road was the only station in the locality and Youhanabad fell under its responsibility and as the authority had been reluctant before to give any views on the matter.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 27 in an interview said. These terms and conditions were agreed upon and finally after a long wait. On asking what was being done in the area for the people of Youhanabad. it was realized that there was no point continuing the research without getting the view of the authority. when these poor souls can¶t repay these animals. so it was decided to request some senior officials and have the meeting arranged. It would be appropriate to say after meeting the official that this interview had been a total waste of time. but mind you. the meeting took place with the one law enforcement authority who could be questioned on the issue of crimes and drugs in Youhanabad. what you should ask is what have we not done for the people of Youhanabad.´ At this point. the overweight officer replied ³you should not ask that question. Just 1 hour later at 8:15pm on the same date after conducting the interview of the police official a trip was again made to Youhanabad to find the streets loaded . but there are smugglers and thieves here who have occupied hundreds of houses here and they use them as bases of their loot and dirty work and many of these occupied house are bases of prostitution in this area. (Personal Communication) The interview with the senior official took almost an hour. looped out. Its outrageous how they operate.´I served the country for 45years. and it took me all my life¶s saving to build this house here in Youhanabad. The main reason of this meeting was to ask the police in charge there. Who are these authorities trying to befool? Such white lies over facts that even a blind man could distinguish. On asking the situation of drugs and land mafia he replied ³what mafia are you talking about? In 8 years of my duty here I have not seen a single drug case in Youhanabad except for the occasional homemade wine issues which pop out once in a blue moon. first they loan the poor people with money to be repaid in a short time period. and the one authority who could have given breakthroughs in this research. No laws enforcement authorities are acting properly in large Christian societies such as Youhanabad. theft. the Ex-nazim of Youhanabad Tariq Javed Tariq was contacted and after a lot of problems the interview was finally arranged. but what can I do? We tried to convince the local authorities to take action on the matter but they do not budge. the rumors that kept coming up about police official being involved in this drug business were true.´ (Personal Communication. and to be honest this is not my job.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 28 with sales men for drugs of your choice. I informed the police and that is the maximum I can do. Such problems are the major reason that crimes such as drugs. . were true. what do the poor who have no money do? They borrow it. and then asking their families for large amount to bail them out. In simpler terms. On asking his view on the matter of drugs in Youhanabad he replied: ³Well yes. The one authority that the people can trust to be un-biased and helpful in curbing their misery is itself involved in helping the drug mafia in continuing its dirty work. After the meeting with the police official and the Ex-nazim it was now starting to become clear that. I am aware of the fact that many drug dealers are operating in Youhanabad. arresting them. and later end up losing their properties and valuables to the land mafia and rewinding the whole cycle. 2010) This was pathetic. Not only are they facing acts of discrimination and constant fake accusations of blasphemy against Islam but also they are facing high inflation rates with the rest of the country. and prostitution are very high in their community. In addition. It is the job of the Pakistan government that they should look into the matter and take serious action on such problems taking place within the minorities. This also meant that the fact outlined by the people regarding the police accepting bribery from these drug sellers. April 7. I can¶t take any personal actions because to be very frank I can¶t distort my image because at the end of the day I became nazim from their votes. and then faking innocent people as mischief-makers. Now to get some solid answers from local authorities. there is no law and order in the area. the whole game revolves around the looting and plundering of the poor Christian minority of Youhanabad who cannot even fight freely for their own basic rights in the society. The Christian minority in Pakistan is under constant pressure at all times. the constant negligence by the authorities and discrimination from the society¶s part have caused these Christians of Youhanabad lose hope and motivation for a better future. Lack of leadership is the main problem and this can be solved by promoting educated figures in the minority so that they might set examples from within their communities. Recommendations Currently there is only 3% representation of religious minority in the parliament it should be increased to at least 5-10%. leading to unemployment were the primary causes for the individuals of this community to resort to illegal acts like robbery and drug addiction. Youhanabad. whenever it rains and makes it difficult for the people to walk on the streets. only than would he be able to understand and try to solve the problem that people encounter in their daily life due to the lack of infrastructure. Awareness campaigns should be run for the awareness that all people have equal rights. However. unavailability of proper education. The infrastructure is much ruptured as there are no proper roads. which is doing nothing but adding misery to the lives of people of Youhanabad. Youhanabad happened to be a volatile community having people with great talent and latent spirit to count towards their own betterment and society. The dirty water that is in the open sewages and flows on to the streets. it was concluded that discrimination. . It would be much better if the MPA of the area is someone who lives in the vicinity and coming from the same level so that he has the picture of the problems in Youhanabad. houses and buildings in this area. It came to our notice that the people of Youhanabad are not unwilling to work for the betterment of their community. they are not able to accomplish their endeavors. While carrying out this research.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 29 Conclusion The purpose of this intensive research paper was to investigate the conditions of the said area. thanks to the discrimination and facilities provided to them. The negative image promotes by Mulahs is absurd and should be banned by the Government. Furthermore. which was fulfilled to its maximum capacity undertaking all the limitations on hand. so sewages should be covered up in order to avoid dangerous diseases which result from the dirty water. All the above measures have to be taken to provide equal opportunities to Christian people so that they can secure their future as well as the future of Pakistan. People should be educated on the use and abuse of drugs and NGOs along with government should open rehabilitation programs that not only help the already present drug addicts return to normal life but also help promote the eradication of these drugs. There should be tighter law enforcement implementation by the government in these minority-inhabited areas so that the rights of these people are not misused. . (See appendix A. As the results of questionnaire shows that the major problem behind the poor educational conditions are the lack of funds. In order to hearten the teachers they should be given salaries according to their qualifications. It should open public schools there as they are the citizens of Pakistan too and deserve a lot better than what they are now getting. figure K).CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 30 In order to improve the educational conditions in Youhanabad the government has to play its effective part. Law enforcement authorities like Police should properly perform their duties in these areas. The government has to make a proper check to those schools in Youhanabad who are exploiting the Christian children and their parents. Strict HR laws in the organizations should be implemented to protect the discrimination against any religious minorities. Awareness campaigns in the organizations should be inducted in order to bring people of all religions together. Also it¶s the responsibility of the government to help those institutions that are making an effort to promote education but are unable to do so because of lack of funds. christians.chronic.CONDITIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FOCUSING YOUHANABAD 31 References Christian minority in Pakistan.NCJP by Peter Jacob. 2010 from http://www. In Christian Today.com/morenewsviews. Retrieved 05 March. 28) Lahore. 17) Lahore. In Dawn. (p. Iftikhar. B. Retrieved 05 March.pakistan/8433. 2010 from spaces.uk:8080/download/attachments/748/Brief+37.Pakistan Studies: for Class 10th.brad. Iftikhar.r emains..pdf Ahmed. 2010 from http://www. Punjab text board. Retrieved 05 March.ac. : for Class 10th (p. In PSRU.christiantoday.Pakistan Studies.pakistanchristianpost.com/article/employment.php Shazia case accused remanded in custody. In Pakistan Christian Post. (2004). (2008). S.dawn. Ahmed.Muslims students .discrimination. [Eds]. B. Retrieved 05 March. (2004). 2010 from http://www.against. Employment Discrimination against Christians Remains Chronic in Pakistan. (2006).in.. (2009). Punjab text board.htm National Education Policy 2009 infringes religious freedom of non. S. Issues and Options.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/thenewspaper/front-page/16-shazia-case-accused-remanded-in-custody-hs-06 . [Eds]. (2010).