Pakistan's Christians Are Losing Their Churches to Land Grabbers. One Lawmaker Is Fighting Back.

Pakistan Christian Lawmaker Introduces Historic Bill to Protect Church and Minority Properties in Punjab

Falbous Christopher, a Christian member of Pakistan's Punjab Provincial Assembly and chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minorities Affairs, has introduced the Punjab Protection of Communal Properties of Minorities Act 2026.

The legislation responds to decades of property disputes involving churches, Hindu temples, and Sikh gurdwaras across Punjab province. Community leaders have long alleged that collusion between church administrators and developers, forged documents, and poor record keeping have enabled unauthorized sales and land encroachments targeting minority owned properties.

Christopher's bill expands the definition of protected minority properties to include religious institutions and assets developed through government grants, public funds, charitable donations, and foreign contributions.

The legislation would significantly expand what constitutes protected minority properties.

Falbous Christopher, MPA and bill sponsor, said in his address to the assembly.

Under the proposed law, a Provincial Action Committee would be established to create a comprehensive inventory of minority communal properties, monitor encroachments and unauthorized construction, review proposed sales, transfers, or leases, and assist in resolving property disputes. The committee membership would include assembly members, government secretaries, police officials, and six representatives from minority communities.

Unauthorized transactions would be voided under the bill, with violators facing up to seven years imprisonment and fines of 100,000 Pakistani rupees, approximately $360.

Will Pakistan's New Minority Property Protection Law Actually Work?

However, critics have raised serious concerns about enforcement. James Rehmat, head of the Ecumenical Commission for Human Development, noted significant structural gaps in the legislation.

The committee has no power to take immediate action against land grabbers, issue restraining orders, seal properties or order evictions.

James Rehmat said, highlighting the enforcement limitations.

The bill also lacks a permanent secretariat, dedicated budget, technical survey unit, digital documentation requirements, statutory deadlines for resolving complaints, and sufficient accountability measures for government officials. Legal expert Lazar Allah Rakha cautioned that legislative passage alone would not guarantee implementation, noting that previous court directives on minority protections have encountered bureaucratic delays and weak implementation.

A 2014 Supreme Court of Pakistan ruling emphasized the state's constitutional obligations to safeguard minority rights, yet meaningful progress has remained elusive for Pakistan's Christian and minority communities.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let's be honest about what's happening here. Pakistan's Christians have been watching their churches, their schools, and their community properties stolen out from under them for decades. Corrupt officials forge documents, developers collude with administrators, and the law does nothing. Now a brave Christian lawmaker puts forward a bill to stop it, and it arrives with no enforcement teeth, no budget, and no power to actually stop a single land grabber. A law without enforcement is just a press release. Pakistan's 3.5 million Christians deserve real protection, not symbolic gestures. The world needs to watch whether this bill becomes law with real teeth, or just another empty promise to a persecuted community that has been promised too much and delivered too little.

Take Action

• Donate: Support persecuted Christians in Pakistan through The Shepherd's Shield and Open Doors USA, which provide emergency aid to threatened communities.
• Pray: Pray for Falbous Christopher and Pakistan's Christian lawmakers as they fight for minority protections in a hostile political environment.
• Share: Share this story on social media and ask why Western media remains silent about the systematic theft of Christian property in Pakistan.
• Contact: Email your representatives and demand they raise the issue of Christian property rights with the Pakistani government during diplomatic engagements.
• Support: Give to International Christian Concern which monitors and reports on persecution of Christians in Pakistan and across Asia.