Colonel Muzaffar Ansari (right) and Father Francis Gulzar distribute food among Christian families at St. John's High School in Youhanabad on April 29. (Photo: Tariq Ghouri)
Church leaders in Pakistan are applauding paramilitary rangers for Ramadan food handouts as a lockdown continues to check the spread of the coronavirus.
Punjab Rangers on April 28 distributed 500 ration bags containing essential food items among Christians at St. John's High School in Youhanabad, Lahore.
Leaders from the Catholic Church and Church of Pakistan prayed with Colonel Muzaffar Ansari, the rangers’ ring commander, before the distribution. He later joined church teams in handing over food packages at the houses of widows.
“Pakistan Rangers Punjab stands with brothers of the Christian community,” stated a large banner in the school grounds.
“We wanted to share the joy of the holy month of fasting with needy families including daily wagers and people unemployed due to the current stoppage of economic activities,” said Nisari, adding that paramilitary forces had also distributed rations in two other Christian colonies of Lahore.
Caritas Karachi and rangers in southern Sindh province joined hands to distribute food on April 28 among fishing families in Dabla Mohallah, Rehri Goth and Bin Qasim Town to help them cope with the effects of a prolonged lockdown and ease their problems.
“We thank the rangers for accepting our request to help 120 Muslims belonging to the fisherfolk community. A list of 100 Christians in neglected areas of Karachi is pending. These lists are prepared upon requests of parish priests and catechists,” said Mansha Noor, executive secretary of Caritas Karachi.
Father Francis Gulzar, parish priest of St. John’s Catholic Church, “wholeheartedly” thanked the rangers.
“We feel their charity is beyond faith and for the rehabilitation of humanity. We also encourage our community to help Muslims amid Ramadan,” he told UCA News.
However, he refused to comment on reports of minorities complaining about denial of food or cash due to their religious beliefs.
On April 5, more than 100 Christian families from Punjab’s Kasur district were reportedly excluded from food aid distributed by a village committee comprising Muslims. In another incident, Christians were denied food on April 2 in a village near Lahore.
Charity group Saylani Welfari has also faced accusations that Christians and Hindus were denied food in Karachi in March.