Christmas | Pakistan

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that the persecution of minorities in India was a matter of “deep concern” following incidents of vandalism reported in the neighbouring country ahead of Christmas. Last week, mobs armed with wooden sticks vandalised Christmas decorations at a shopping mall in central India, while right-wing groups disrupted school celebrations and burned holiday merchandise in the northeast, according to Indian media. The incidents occurred in the states of Chhattisgarh, Assam, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh ahead of the holiday. In a statement released on Monday, the FO said, “The persecution of minorities in India is a matter of deep concern. “Recent condemnable incidents of vandalism during Christmas, as well as state-sponsored campaigns targeting Muslims — including the demolition of their homes and repeated lynchings, notably the case of Muhammad Akhlaq, in which the state worked to shield the perpetrators from accountability — have deepened fear and alienation among Muslims,” it said. A...

President Donald Trump said US forces conducted “powerful and deadly” strikes on Thursday against Islamic State (IS) militants in northwestern Nigeria, weeks after he warned against any systemic assault on Christians in the country. The Nigerian foreign ministry early on Friday confirmed the air strikes, describing them as “precision hits on terrorist targets” in the country. The Department of Defence’s US Africa Command said “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in an attack in Sokoto state conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, but few details were provided and it was not clear how many people died. The strikes hit IS targets on Christmas Day, according to Trump. View this post on Instagram “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “May God Bless our Military,” he said, adding provocatively, “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Ter...

RAWALPINDI - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, on Thursday attended the Christmas celebrations at Christ Church in Rawalpindi, joining the Christian community in commemorating the joyous occasion.

There have been multiple incidents of mobs vandalising Christmas decorations in India ahead of the festival, according to local media. The Indian Express has reported that a mob, armed with wooden sticks, vandalised Christmas decorations and installations at a mall in the Raipur city of India’s Chhattisgarh state. View this post on Instagram The report also mentioned that the incident took place on the same day when a Hindu organisation, Sarva Hindu Samaj, had called a Chhattisgarh bandh — a form of protest — against alleged religious conversions. According to The Hindu, the protest was also called following clashes over the “burial of a person from a converted family” in the Kanker district. The Indian Express carried an account of the incident as narrated by an employee of the mall, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Around 80-90 people barged in […] we were supporting the protest. For the last 16 years, since we began operations here, we have always supported bandh calls. But I have never seen such beha...

Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus. Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world. “How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he asked. Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons. But the new pope has also lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state. Israel and Hamas agreed...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that Pakistan’s Christian community, which is celebrating Christmas today, is an integral part of the country’s national fabric. “Pakistan’s Christian community forms an integral part of our national fabric. Their enduring contributions to education, healthcare, and social welfare, and their sacrifices alongside the nation in the fight against terrorism, are deeply valued and a source of collective pride,” the premier said in his Christmas message on the social media platform X. He extended his “warmest greetings” to the Christian community across the world, and “especially to our Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan”. “May this festive season fill hearts with joy, strengthen bonds of harmony, and bring peace, hope, and prosperity to all,” the premier said. Separately, a statement carried by state-run APP quoted him as saying that Christmas “conveys a universal message of love, peace, tolerance, and goodwill for all humanity”. He highlighted the role of the...

The Christian community in Pakistan is celebrating Christmas today with religious fervour and festive spirit, in line with celebrations around the world.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended heartfelt greetings to the Christian community in Pakistan and around the world on the occasion of Christmas.

As Christmas approaches, people around the globe have been preparing for the holiday season by buying decorations and food, praying, and presenting gifts to one another. This Christmas Eve featured multiple events celebrating the upcoming holiday, with the erection of giant Christmas trees, parades in cultural attire, and gatherings in cities around the world. People visit St. Anthony’s Church, decorated on Christmas Eve, in Lahore on December 24. — AFP An ice skating rink and Christmas tree are set up at the LA Live Plaza at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, the US on December 23. — Reuters Vendors sit in front of their shop selling Christmas decorations in Hanoi, Vietnam on December 24. — AFP A cyclist passes near a giant Christmas in Abidjan, in Cote d’Ivoire on December 23, ahead of Christmas. — AFP A four-year-old elephant named Samu is fed a Christmas tree with fruits and vegetables at Budapest Zoo and Botanic Garden in Budapest, Hungary on December 23. — AFP Young women take a selfie in ...

The hall at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington glowed in Christmas colours on Saturday evening. Red and gold decorations framed the space, while green — the unmistakable green of Pakistan — appeared everywhere: in flags, ribbons and lapel pins. White lights shimmered softly, echoing both the season and the crescent-and-star that defines the country these guests continue to call their own. The pre-Christmas gathering, hosted for Pakistani Christians and their neighbours, began and ended with a chant that left little doubt about that bond: “Pakistan Zindabad.” It was not a slogan offered for form’s sake. It was spoken with warmth, conviction, and an insistence born of long experience. For more than a decade, speakers noted, such gatherings have brought together Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews — a quiet tradition of interfaith fellowship that has survived politics, violence and neglect. A message from the Virginia governor praised the organisers’ work over the past twelve years and encouraged the emb...

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, the judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association Thursday joined employees and security staff from the Christian Community in marking the joyous occasion of Christmas by cutting a festive cake at a special ceremony held at the Supreme.

Kate honours community spirit in Christmas service

Peshawar - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday assured a representative delegation of the minority community that a Christmas Day event would be arranged at the Governor House Peshawar.

VEHARI - On the special directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Christmas grant cheques were distributed among deserving members of the Christian community in Vehari.