by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – Nearly 25,000 Christians, many of them impoverished sanitation workers and day laborers, face possible eviction from their homes in Pakistan’s capital after authorities ordered them to vacate two settlements within days, Christians familiar with the situation confirmed Thursday.
Residents of Rimsha Colony and Akram Gill Colony in Islamabad’s Sector H-9 received a three-day eviction notice, announced through loudspeakers by officials from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
In video footage obtained by Worthy News, a local official warned residents that they were considered illegal settlers.
“We will not register your names to prevent further losses for you. Please take your belongings and leave the place immediately,” the official announced.
Residents dispute the claim that they are unlawful occupants.
COMMUNITY DENIES ILLEGAL STATUS
Christian advocate Sardar Mushtaq Gill explained that many families were relocated to the area by the government itself more than a decade ago after tensions surrounding the high-profile blasphemy case involving Rimsha Masih.
“Many of these families are sanitation workers and daily-wage laborers,” Gill told Worthy News. “They were moved here by the state in the early 2010s after security concerns linked to the Rimsha Masih case. At that time the relocation was presented as protection.”
Masih, then a 14-year-old Christian girl, was arrested in 2012 on allegations of desecrating pages of the Quran — an offense punishable by death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
The case sparked international outrage after a local imam was detained on suspicion of planting the pages in her bag. Masih was later cleared of all charges and eventually fled to Canada with her family in 2013.
Yet the episode left lasting fears within Islamabad’s Christian community.
APPEAL FOR TIME AND DIGNITY
“What was once presented as a protective relocation has now turned into a threat of displacement,” Gill remarked. “These families are being asked to leave without any clear resettlement plan.”
Church leaders and human-rights advocates have urged authorities to reconsider the eviction order.
Pastor Imran Amanat, who leads advocacy group LEAD Ministries, appealed to officials to provide residents with more time and safe relocation options.
“Thousands of Christian families suddenly face eviction from Islamabad’s Sector H-9,” Amanat explained. “We have asked authorities to grant them adequate time and a secure place to move.”
He stressed that most residents continue to serve the capital through sanitation work and other municipal jobs despite living in settlements lacking basic infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and proper roads.
PERSECUTION CONCERNS
Human-rights advocates warn the planned evictions raise concerns about the treatment of religious minorities and low-income communities. Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the state must protect the dignity, security, and rights of minority groups.
The eviction controversy comes amid broader concerns about the vulnerability of Christians in Pakistan.
The Muslim-majority country ranks seventh on the 2026 World Watch List compiled by the Christian advocacy group Open Doors, which monitors persecution worldwide.
According to the organization, Christians in Pakistan face discrimination, blasphemy accusations, forced conversions, and violence, particularly from extremist groups.
The anxiety within the community deepened further Thursday after the reported disappearance of a Christian father in Punjab province.
FAMILY PLEADS FOR MISSING FATHER
Salmon Masih, a father of four from Kechad Colony in Kot Radha Kishan, went missing on March 7 after leaving home for work, his family said.
His wife has appealed publicly for help, saying the family fears he may have been kidnapped.
“This family’s suffering is heartbreaking,” Pastor Amanat noted in a statement to Worthy News. “Sadly it reflects the harsh reality many Christians face across Pakistan, living under constant threat, social marginalization, and violence.”
Authorities have registered a formal missing-person case, while the family continues searching for answers.
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Also searching for answers are the thousands of Christians in Islamabad’s Rimsha and Akram Gill colonies, where the immediate concern remains whether they will soon lose their homes.
After years of living and working in the capital, many fear that without intervention they could soon be left without shelter or livelihoods, Christians told Worthy News.
Community members seen in video footage reviewed by Worthy News urged authorities to ensure respect, fairness, and a humane resettlement process in Pakistan — a nation of roughly 240 million people where Christians comprise about 1.6 percent of the population.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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