Twenty-five thousand Christians in Pakistan’s capital face government-ordered eviction without resettlement or compensation, despite authorities relocating these families for their protection just over a decade ago.
Government Reverses Its Own Protection Policy
The Capital Development Authority in Islamabad issued eviction notices in late March 2026 to Christian families living in colonies including Rimsha, Allama Iqbal, and Akram Masih Gill. These settlements originated following the 2013 Rimsha Masih blasphemy case, when a falsely accused 14-year-old Christian girl sparked mob violence that forced thousands of Christian families from their original homes. Pakistani authorities relocated these families to informal colonies in sectors H-9/2 and G-7 for their safety, permitting settlement and issuing official documents including NADRA identity cards.
Families Built Lives With Government Permission
Over more than a decade following their government-sanctioned relocation, these low-income Christian families—primarily sanitation and domestic workers—constructed homes and established functioning communities. Residents built schools for their children, participated in local elections, and maintained employment sustaining Islamabad’s essential services. The CDA now claims these same settlements are illegal and must be cleared for city development, despite the agency’s role in originally directing families to these locations after the 2013 violence threatened their lives.
Court Protections Ignored By Authorities
A 2015 Supreme Court stay order explicitly protects Pakistan’s informal settlements from eviction without proper resettlement provisions. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan invoked this ruling along with the 2001 National Housing Policy, calling on federal ministers including the Prime Minister to halt the evictions immediately. Community leader Imran Shahzad Sahotra, who organized protests beginning March 12, stated that issuing directives without providing alternatives constitutes fundamental injustice. International Christian Concern reported authorities provided no proper resettlement plan despite legal requirements and humanitarian obligations.
Economic and Security Threats Mount
The eviction threat creates immediate economic hardship as families skip work, fearing they will return to demolished homes. These working-class Christians perform essential low-wage jobs throughout Islamabad, and their displacement threatens labor shortages in sanitation and domestic services. Beyond economic disruption, advocates warn of heightened risks of mob violence against displaced Christian families in a country with documented patterns of blasphemy-related persecution. Children cannot sleep, and parents face the prospect of homelessness without government support, despite officials originally relocating them for protection.
Religious Minority Discrimination Pattern Continues
The irony of Pakistani authorities now evicting Christian families they previously relocated for safety underscores broader discrimination patterns against religious minorities. Muslim educationist Zeeba Hashmi joined Christian advocates in criticizing the lack of alternatives, noting that long-term residency with schools, elections, and official documentation undermines claims of illegality. Minority rights activist Samson Salamat emphasized the evictions breach national housing policy protections. This situation reinforces international concerns about Pakistan’s treatment of Christians, who face systematic bias in housing, employment, and legal protections, particularly regarding blasphemy accusations that have repeatedly displaced entire communities.
Global Advocacy Rises As Deadline Looms
Church leaders condemned the evictions as violations of human dignity while protests continue in affected colonies. As of early April 2026, verbal eviction directives persist without demolition, but families remain in panic over imminent displacement. The Supreme Court’s 2015 order requiring resettlement before eviction has not been enforced despite appeals from human rights organizations. International Christian Concern amplified global awareness of the crisis, highlighting how 25,000 vulnerable Christians face homelessness in Pakistan’s capital. Federal ministers have been urged to intervene, yet no resettlement confirmation or eviction halt has materialized, leaving thousands of Christian families in legal and physical limbo.
Sources:
Thousands of Christian Families Are Facing Eviction in This Muslim Country – Western Journal
Thousands of Christian Families Face Eviction in Pakistan – International Christian Concern