ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday extended Easter greetings to the Christian community and urged them to celebrate the festival at home in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
“Please stay safe and keep your families safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by praying and celebrating at home; & by observing the national safety protocols,” he said via Twitter.
Wishing all our Christian citizens a happy Easter. Please stay safe and keep your families safe during the COVID19 pandemic by praying and celebrating at home; & by observing the national safety protocols
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 12, 2020
President Alvi, in a message, conveyed his sincere wishes to the Christian community and said the Christian, as well as other minorities, were equal citizens of the state, and their rights had been fully safeguarded by the Constitution of Pakistan.
He said the true message of Easter was love, joy and happiness. “It also reminds us of the teachings of Jesus Christ and his universal message of love, forgiveness, and brotherhood, which can bring harmony and peace to the world.”
The president also appreciated the contribution made by the Christian community in the social and economic development of Pakistan.
Easter is one of the religious festivals celebrated with traditional and religious zeal by Christians every year around the world. It is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon marks the culmination of the 40 day period of fasting called Lent.
LAYERS OF MARGINALISATION:
Christians — who comprise roughly two per cent of the country’s population — occupy one of the lowest rungs in class-obsessed Pakistan.
Most work menial jobs without contracts as street sweepers, cleaners and cooks and live in crowded, multi-generational households where social distancing is all but impossible.
Their worsening plight means the Easter — which normally marks rebirth, springtime and abundance — will be filled with “depression and despair”, said Haroon Ashraf.
“The coronavirus has snatched away the bit of bread we had,” said the 25-year-old, who lost his restaurant job when the virus hit.
Along with his brother, who is also now jobless, he is supporting a family of seven that is squeezed into a two-room flat.
He was hoping to apply for financial relief from the state, but was hindered by being unable to read.
Pakistan’s Christian community largely descended from low-caste Hindus who converted, resulting in persistent caste stigmas and discrimination.
For decades, they have been subjected to violent attacks by extremists, and tarred with blasphemy allegations that they are mostly helpless to deflect and often result in lynchings.
They often live in impoverished ‘colonies’ in urban centres, including in the capital where the slums are sandwiched between the wealthiest neighbourhoods.
The loss of a job or an unexpected medical bill frequently sends families into spiralling debt in the absence of strong safety nets in the deeply impoverished country of 215 million.
“In this crisis, where they are confined to crowded spaces with few resources, they cannot be left to face a cruel choice between starvation and infection,” said Omar Waraich, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International.
The pandemic and ensuing lockdown means lively Easter Sunday services and celebrations usually spent in churches inside the maze-like slums will be abandoned.
