Residents report being stopped and subjected to breath checks for alcohol, or accused of transporting illicit liquor when carrying water from filtration plants.

In the industrial heartland of Faisalabad, Pakistan’s second-largest city in Punjab province, members of the Christian community have raised alarms over what they describe as a discriminatory anti-drug campaign. Community leaders allege that police are fabricating narcotics cases against Christians to inflate arrest statistics, turning a legitimate effort to combat drug abuse into a tool of harassment against religious minorities. This comes amid a broader provincial drive against narcotics, but critics say it disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups. Faisalabad, home to about 80 per cent of Pakistan’s estimated 3 million Christians, has seen a surge in such cases, sparking protests and calls for accountability.

The accusations highlight longstanding tensions between Pakistan’s Muslim-majority population and its Christian minority, who often face social and economic marginalisation. While alcohol sales are legally permitted for non-Muslims under special licenses, community advocates argue that authorities are conflating this with illegal narcotics to justify raids and arrests. Bishop Joseph Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad has publicly condemned the campaign as an “injustice,” noting a marked increase in cases since November last year. In a statement issued on February 5, 2026, he pointed out how police-linked social media accounts amplify these arrests, portraying Christians involved in licensed alcohol trade as “notorious” drug dealers.

Surge in Bogus Cases Amid Anti-Drug Drive

Over the past two months, at least 15 drug-related cases have been registered against Christians in Faisalabad, a sharp rise from the one or two cases typically seen in previous periods, according to Lala Robin Daniel, head of the Minority Rights Movement (MRM). Daniel, speaking at a press conference on February 2, 2026, at the Faisalabad Press Club, emphasised that while the community supports Punjab’s anti-drug initiatives, the current approach risks criminalising an entire religious group.

Under Pakistan’s stringent anti-narcotics laws, possession of more than one kilogram of substances like heroin or hashish can result in up to 14 years in prison and hefty fines, while larger quantities may lead to life imprisonment. Critics like Catholic lawyer Akmal Bhatti, chairman of Minorities Alliance Pakistan, argue that provisions in these laws are being misused as a “blunt instrument” to target licensed alcohol permit holders among Christians. Bhatti described this as institutionalised profiling, where police face pressure to demonstrate results in the anti-drug operation, making minorities easy scapegoats.

Routine police practices in Christian neighbourhoods exacerbate the issue. Residents report being stopped and subjected to breath checks for alcohol, or accused of transporting illicit liquor when carrying water from filtration plants. Such encounters often escalate into formal charges, with bail requiring around 250,000 Pakistani rupees in legal fees per accused individual. The financial burden, combined with the stigma of drug allegations, has left families devastated and communities fearful of further raids.

High-Profile Incidents Fuel Outrage

Several specific cases illustrate the alleged pattern of abuse. In January 2026, Asif Riaz, a member of the Salvation Army in Christian Town, was arrested on drug possession charges. His brother-in-law, Nadeem Prince, claimed Riaz was implicated by a drug addict in a police setup, despite Riaz having abandoned alcohol sales years ago to run rental shops. Riaz spent 48 days in custody before being granted bail, highlighting the protracted legal battles faced by those accused.

Another incident involved a Christian property dealer Pervaiz Bhatti’s nephews, Robin Raja and Hannan Saleem. Already detained over an alcohol sales complaint, the pair faced additional fabricated charges on January 20, 2026, when police claimed to have recovered 1,320 grams of hashish from Raja and 1,260 grams of heroin from Saleem in a public park. Bhatti denounced this as a clear case of double jeopardy and manipulation.

In a broader show of force, police conducted raids on Christian settlements without warrants, including a recent search in a neighbourhood housing about 4,000 residents. Although no illegal substances were found, the intrusion was described as harassing. In another event under Gulberg Police Station’s jurisdiction, two homes in Christian Town were searched based on a false tip-off. Police later apologised when nothing was discovered, and the informant failed to appear. Community leaders labelled these intelligence reports as biased and one-sided, demanding greater transparency in how such operations are initiated.

These incidents are not isolated, according to Daniel, who accused Regional Police Officer DIG Sohail Akhtar Sukhera of overseeing biased enforcement. Efforts to reach Sukhera for comment were unsuccessful, but the allegations suggest a systemic issue where performance metrics drive discriminatory policing.

Community Mobilizes for Justice

In response, Christian leaders have united in protest. At the press conference, speakers decried the vilification campaign on social media. They argued that drugs like heroin, hashish, and methamphetamine (“ice”) are not produced or primarily distributed by Christians, yet the community is being falsely linked to them.

The leaders invoked Pakistan’s Constitution, asserting that alcohol holds a place in Christian religious rituals and beliefs. Declaring it equivalent to narcotics, they said, promotes hatred and violates constitutional protections. Bishop Rehmat echoed this, calling for an end to the amplified portrayal of arrests on crime-reporting pages, which equate legal alcohol trade with hard drugs.

Demands include the immediate withdrawal of all bogus cases within five days. If unmet, the MRM has threatened a sit-in protest outside the Punjab Assembly in Lahore. This mobilization reflects growing frustration among minorities, who feel the anti-drug drive is being weaponized against them rather than addressing root causes like poverty and lack of education in affected areas.

Broader Implications for Religious Minorities

The controversy in Faisalabad underscores deeper challenges for religious minorities in Pakistan, where Christians often reside in economically disadvantaged urban enclaves. Historical context reveals that drug issues in the region date back decades, but current enforcement appears selective. While international reports from the 1970s noted early patterns of narcotics abuse in South Asia, recent allegations point to modern-day discrimination amid efforts to curb a persistent problem.

Advocates warn that such targeting could erode trust in law enforcement and exacerbate communal tensions. With Punjab’s anti-drug campaign showing no signs of slowing, the Christian community’s pushback may prompt wider scrutiny from human rights organisations. As Daniel put it, true justice requires equitable application of the law, not the scapegoating of vulnerable groups to meet quotas. The outcome of this standoff could set precedents for how minorities are treated in future security operations across Pakistan.