Christian community facing shortage of graveyards

PESHAWAR: There are only four graveyards for over 70,000 Christians in the provincial capital city of Peshawar and other cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, forcing the community to burry 5 to 10 bodies in a single grave that is already filled with skeletons and bones, according to members.

Now the old graves are being dug up again and used for burying the dead, Augustin Jacob, a representative of the Christian community in Peshawar, said while pointing to the seriousness of the situation.He said that due to the rate at which the population has increased, no attention has been paid to this aspect. Though discussions have been held with the government on this issue, the authority’s talk of giving us land outside the city for the graveyard may cause more problems for the Christian community, he added.

Augustin Jacob said: “If the administration gives us space, it is outside of Peshawar. It is difficult for people to survive in these economic conditions and it is also difficult to bear the expenses incurred on the burial of a dead,” he said, adding we need a place inside the city where people can reach easily. He said a majority of Christians living in the city are poor belonging to the working class, so they can’t afford to buy land for a new graveyard.

According to the information received through RTI, KP allocated Rs 75 million for the construction of five cremation grounds for the Hindu community and the creation of seven graveyards for Christians in March 2019.

Officials said that a total of Rs 24 million has been allocated for the construction of five cremation grounds and Rs 51 million has been set aside for the acquiring land for seven Christian graveyards in KP.

The purchase of four kanal (0.5 acre) of land for cremation ground in Peshawar and two-kanal (0.25 acre) each in Hangu, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Nowshera districts of KP has been approved by the department concerned, officials added.

They said the purchase of six kanal of land for Christian graveyard in Peshawar, five kanal each in Mardan, Kohat, Swabi and Lower Dir and four-kanal each in Swat and Nowshera districts have also been approved by the KP government.

Alaica Khan, a social activist from Peshawar, said the government had allotted us land for the graveyard but the local Muslim community is not allowing us to set up a graveyard there. “We ask for other land and urgent actions because we are forced to bury our dead in old graves,” she added.

Former advisor to KP chief minister on minorities Ravi Kumar, said the KP Department for Religious Affairs and minorities had procured five kanal of land for a Christian graveyard and two kanal land for a cremation ground in 2020 for Hindus in Budu Samar Bagh area in rural Peshawar.

He added that the provincial department has sought a report from the Peshawar Commissioner over the possible objections raised by the local population, religious scholars and elders to its move.

The local population of the area earlier held meetings with authorities and apprised them about their reservations. The locals said the site selected for the projects was not suitable as the government had approved a residential colony in the same area but they even did not allow that, he explained.

“The KP government back in 2018 had devised a plan for buying a piece of land for the graveyard in Chamkani but the local people of the area did not allow the district administration to buy land for the graveyard for the minorities there”, he added and said that the deputy commissioner was tasked with convincing the people of the Chamkani. He hoped the matter would be resolved soon.

There are only four graveyards in Peshawar for Christians, and Gora Qabristan is one of them, which is visited by a large number of tourists as well. Loaded with thick trees and green plants and flowers, this historic British-era cemetery is currently facing encroachment. It was established in the year 1853. British soldiers and other people have been buried in this cemetery.