Daily Times

LAHORE: The oldest Taxali Gate Cemetery (a Christian graveyard) is presently in shambles and presents a dreadful condition as the graves are being disgraced and sinking into the ground and waist high shrubs have grown all over in the cemetery, lacking maintenance and repair, sources informed Daily Times.

The sources further added that the cemetery, in pitiable condition, dates back to the 1800s and at present there is no space in it for further burials whereas most of the graves have been razed to construct new ones over them, which is a matter of great concern for the Christian community.

The old graves dating back to 1800 and 1900 are in worse condition whereas the marble over them has been stolen by the locals who have placed them as antiques in restaurants, houses or private museums, reliable sources informed, adding that there were six minority Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) from Lahore namely Tariq Gill, Shahzad Munshi, Shakeel Awan, Marry Gill, Shazia Tariq and Federal Minister for Human Rights Kamran Michael, but no one had paid any attention towards the conditions of the cemetery despite getting yearly funds. The sources were of the opinion that if the existing Taxali Cemetery was not improved and neither any other cemetery for Christians was made in Lahore, then where else were the funds utilised?

While visiting the cemetery located near Badshahi Mosque, opposite Taxali Gate and Lahore Fort, Daily Times learnt that the cemetery was in a disgraceful state and one of the walls of the cemetery towards Mohni Road had also collapsed. The only person present at the cemetery said that so far there were no plans to rebuild it, whereas a lot of gravestones were stolen by people through that route of the missing wall. The person at the cemetery informed that once all the important gravestones were piled up inside the cemetery and they got stolen and no authority took any action.

Minister for Minorities of Punjab Tahir Khalil Sandhu while talking to Daily Times said that the matter for improving and developing more cemeteries for Christians was also taken up in Shehr-e-Khamoshan Bill which was passed by the assembly.

“This is a fundamental human right that they rest in peace after death, but the funds were given to the six MPAs from Lahore for improving the Taxali and Jail Road Cemetery along with the development of new ones. We are developing cemeteries in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Gujranwala and we will also be improving the conditions of the existing ones,” he said. On inquiring about the performance of the MPAs from Lahore and why they were unable to improve the conditions of Taxali Cemetery, he said, “I will inquire the matter but now there are few days left for this government.”

Talking to the General Secretary of National Council of Churches in Pakistan Victor Azriah, he showed his distress over the performance of the MPAs and said that despite having development funds, no improvement was made in the Taxali Cemetery.

“In my opinion, it’s an ancient graveyard and was built by the British when they took over Punjab. During the British India period, soldiers camped in the fort near the cemetery and that was the reason that a cemetery was constructed nearby. The soldiers, army personnel and high officials of the British Raj were buried there. People don’t know the facts about this graveyard. The grave of Dr Forman who was the pioneer of regular education system in Punjab and started a school in Rang Mahal and later founded Forman Christian College is also in the Taxali Cemetery.

Similarly, if one visits the Taxali Cemetery, one gets to read several gravestones which mention the names and designations of the important personalities of that time, but unfortunately, it is in a deplorable condition. In my opinion, the minority representatives need to invest the development funds there which they get from the government every year. Taxali Cemetery is a proof of lack of interest of the minority representatives and most of the graves have been desecrated. I think that all the graves should be restored and space for more should be made,” he lamented.

Punjab Shehr-e-Khamoshan Authority (PSKA) Managing Director Salman Sufi said that they could improve it if the management of that cemetery sends them a request as per law as PSKA would not intervene unless requested by the management of any graveyard. “After a request is received and assessed, then the authority takes over the graveyard or cemetery and manages and makes it better as per rules of the Authority,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, May 28^th 2018.