TOBA TEK SINGH — Leaders of the Christian community in Punjab have alleged that members of their community are being falsely implicated in drug-related cases over the past two months, claiming a targeted campaign of vilification and biased reporting.
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Addressing a press conference at the Faisalabad Press Club on Monday, Faisalabad Minority Rights Movement (MRM) chief Lala Robin Daniel, along with other Christian leaders, said they supported the provincial government’s ongoing anti-drug campaign but rejected what they described as attempts to associate the Christian community with narcotics.
They said drugs such as heroin, hashish and ice were being falsely portrayed as originating from the Christian community through what they termed baseless police cases and social media propaganda. The speakers urged the provincial administration to take action against what they described as a coordinated smear campaign.
The leaders said that alcohol consumption, which is permitted for Christians under the Constitution as part of their religious beliefs, was being misrepresented as a criminal drug offence. They argued that portraying alcohol as a drug in a hateful or discriminatory manner violated constitutional protections for religious minorities.
Christian leaders present at the press conference included Bishop Shams Pervaiz, Pervaiz Iqbal Bhatti, Raja Thomas, Malik Sohail Sardar and Shaukat Khokhar.
They cited a recent incident in which police searched two houses in a Christian neighbourhood within the jurisdiction of Gulberg Police Station following what they described as a bogus report. According to the leaders, police later apologised after finding nothing illegal, but the individual who made the report was never identified or questioned.
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The speakers also alleged that intelligence reports related to the community were biased and one-sided, calling on the heads of intelligence agencies to ensure transparency in their reporting processes.
They warned that if what they described as false cases were not withdrawn within five days and the alleged targeting continued, the Christian community would stage a sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly in protest.