WAZIRABAD, PUNJAB — LEAD Ministries has expressed deep concern over reports of the alleged humiliation and mistreatment of sanitation workers in Wazirabad, calling upon the authorities to conduct an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation. According to reports circulating publicly, workers associated with the Suthra Punjab sanitation programme in Union Council Dalaurchima Kalan were allegedly forced by a supervisor into a degrading posture commonly described as being made a “murgha” or “chicken,” while photographs of the workers were reportedly taken and circulated on social media. The allegations require proper investigation and due process, but if substantiated, such treatment would represent a serious violation of human dignity and an abuse of authority against vulnerable workers.
The incident has also renewed
concern about the broader circumstances of Christian sanitation workers in
Pakistan. Reports from international human-rights organizations and Pakistani
civil-society institutions have documented longstanding concerns involving
religious and caste-based discrimination, unsafe working conditions, insecure
employment, inadequate protective equipment, low wages and social
stigmatization within the sanitation sector. Recent research involving
sanitation workers across several Pakistani cities found that sanitation work
is disproportionately assigned to non-Muslims, particularly Christians and
other historically marginalized communities, often with limited freedom to
choose alternative employment.
The discrimination is not merely
economic. Workers have reported derogatory language and social exclusion
associated with sanitation work and religious identity. Research has also
documented discriminatory recruitment practices in which Christian applicants
were directed toward sanitation positions even when seeking other forms of
employment. The country’s human-rights institutions have previously raised
similar concerns about the concentration of Christians in sanitation work and
the dangerous conditions in which many sanitation workers are required to
operate.
Pastor Imran Amanat, leader of LEAD
Ministries, condemned the alleged humiliation and emphasized that Christian
sanitation workers must not be treated as second-class citizens. He stressed
that sanitation work itself is not shameful and that those who clean streets,
remove waste and protect public health deserve respect rather than humiliation.
At the same time, he called upon Christian families to pursue education,
professional skills, entrepreneurship and independent livelihoods wherever
possible so that future generations are not trapped by poverty, discrimination
and limited employment choices.
Pastor Imran Amanat also appealed
to international Christian organizations, churches and humanitarian partners to
continue standing with vulnerable Christians in Pakistan. He encouraged greater
support for education, scholarships, vocational training, small businesses,
legal assistance and economic empowerment, arguing that sustainable
opportunities can help Christian families build greater independence and
dignity while protecting the next generation from occupational and economic
marginalization.
LEAD Ministries emphasizes that
there is no dishonor in honest labour. The concern is not the profession of
sanitation but the discrimination and humiliation that workers may experience
because of their occupation, poverty or religious identity. A worker who cleans
a street deserves the same dignity as every other citizen, and no supervisor
should regard economic vulnerability as permission to intimidate, abuse or
publicly humiliate an employee.
LEAD Ministries therefore calls
upon the relevant authorities to investigate the Wazirabad allegations, hear
the affected workers without intimidation, determine whether violence, coercion
or unauthorized circulation of photographs occurred, and take appropriate
action if wrongdoing is established. Workers should also be protected from
retaliation and provided with safe mechanisms through which they can report
abuse.
LEAD Ministries further expresses
gratitude to international Christian organizations and churches that continue
to support vulnerable Christian communities in Pakistan through humanitarian
assistance, education, advocacy, livelihood programmes and other forms of
support. Their continued solidarity is deeply valued, particularly for families
facing poverty, discrimination, persecution and insecurity.
The Wazirabad allegations should
not become another story that disappears from public attention. They should
prompt a wider discussion about the dignity of sanitation workers, the rights
of Pakistan's Christian minority and the need to end discriminatory practices
that restrict people's opportunities because of their faith or social
background.
The hands that clean Pakistan are not hands to be humiliated. They are hands that serve society. They deserve dignity, equal rights, protection, opportunity and respect. Pastor Imran Amanat leader of LEAD Ministries
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