SWAT: The members of Christian community in Swat staged a protest against desecration of graves by unidentified people in Shagai area on Wednesday night.

Led by Shakeel Sadiq, Robert John, Ihtisham Maseeh, William Maseeh, Zakariya Maseeh, Baber Shehzad and Saqlain Shahzad, scores of members of Christian community attended the protest in Mingora. They showed annoyance over desecration of the graves of their community members.

The protesters said a four-kanal and five marla plot had been allocated for the graveyard of Christians in Shagai area of Saidu Sharif. They said that five bodies were buried there but the government failed to compensate the landowner, putting the graveyard at risk.

“Last night, unidentified persons vandalised three of the five graves. We are deeply saddened by the disrespect shown to our graves,” stated the aggrieved community members.

The Christian community, which consists of about 200 families in Swat, emphasised that it did not hold common people responsible for the destruction as it always received respect from the Muslim community in Swat.

Some locals alleged that the landowner, who had not received payment from the government after Section Four was imposed on his land, might have been involved in the incident.

Before the government allocated the land for the graveyard, Christians had to transport the bodies of near and dear ones to Peshawar and other cities for burial. They urged the government to take their demands seriously and ensure proper land allocation for their graveyard along with legal documentation and payment to the landowner.

SHO of Saidu Sharif police station Tariq Khan said that an FIR was registered under PPC 297 for trespassing on burial places. “Police have initiated an investigation,” he said. He was confident that people involved in the incident would be arrested soon.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2024