Pakistani Christians are being denied humanitarian aid by that country’s authorities because of their faith, Faithwire has reported.
The newspaper quoted persecution watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) as saying Christian families asking for food aid were told by a cleric at a local mosque that the food was only meant for Muslim families.
ICC said on April 5, more than 100 Christian families from Sandha Kalan village, located in the Kasur district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, were excluded from a distribution of food aid.
A local Muslim and human rights defender, Shahakeel Ahmed, said Sheikh Abdul Haleem Hamid, was the one who decided how the food aid should be distributed.
He said Hamid did not allow a single Christian family to benefit from the distribution of the aid even though it was meant for the deserving families of the village.
Ahmed condemned the “inhumane and discriminatory act,” adding that efforts are being made to send food to the impoverished Christians.
Pakistan ranked 5th on Open Doors’ annual list of countries where it is difficult to practise Christianity.