Christian Daily International/Morning Star News, Friday, June 14, 2024
Christians take part in Palm Sunday services at the Sacred Heart Cathedral during the government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Lahore, April 5, 2020. | ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images
LAHORE, Pakistan — Five Christian sanitation workers have died in Pakistan since Tuesday after inhaling toxic fumes, highlighting the fact that they are being forced to work without proper safety equipment, officials said.
The three, Irfan Masi, Ratan Masi and Babar Masi, died due to toxic fumes while cleaning a sewage treatment well in Satellite Town area of Bhalwal in Punjab's Sargodha district on Wednesday. The fourth, Naeem Masi, a Christian, is in critical condition at Sargodha District Headquarters Hospital.
In Sindh province, Christians Yunus Hidayat and Yunus Masih and Hindu Badal Gujarati died on Tuesday after inhaling toxic fumes.
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The tragedy in Punjab occurred after supervisors allowed workers to enter the well without proper safety equipment. The family of the dead worker later staged a protest, placing his body in front of Bhalwal Municipal Corporation.
The protesters demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif order an investigation and take action against those responsible for the deaths. They also lamented that scores of people have died from toxic fumes yet no steps have been taken to address the dangers and demanded the government provide safety equipment to sewer workers.
“Our brothers keep dying in the manholes, but their deaths have failed to move the government,” said Sikandar Farman, a Christian who was once a member of the Bhalwal Municipal Committee. “How many more lives are needed for the authorities to understand the plight of these workers?”
Punjab Minister of Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora said the government regretted the deaths of the workers and would ensure that they were provided with safety equipment.
“This is a very unfortunate incident and Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced a compensation of 3 million Pakistani rupees (US$10,765) to the victims,” Arora told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “The prime minister has also called for a report on the incident from the authorities concerned.” [US765)forthevictims”AroratoldChristianDailyInternational-MorningStarNews“Shehasalsosoughtareportontheincidentfromtheauthoritiesconcerned”
He added that the government has instructed doctors to provide Naeem Masih with the best possible treatment and wishes him a speedy recovery.
Deaths in Sindh
The day before the deaths in Bhalwal, two Christians and one Hindu suffocated to death while cleaning a clogged manhole in Tando Muhammad Khan town of Hyderabad in Sindh province.
Yunus Hidayat and Yunus Masih, both Christians, and Badal Gujarati, a Hindu, died after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a gutter near a mosque. Masih leaves behind a wife and five children, while Hidayat was married but lived alone. Gujarati is survived by his wife and an 18-month-old son, the people said.
The deaths triggered angry protests by the families of the deceased, who staged a sit-in and blocked Tando Mohammad Khan Badin Road for four hours, severely disrupting traffic. Seven protesters, including three women, fainted due to the scorching heat during the blockade.
Syed Shahnawaz Shah, chairman of Tando Muhammad Khan Municipal Committee, assured the protesters that the government would pay 300,000 rupees (US$1,077) in compensation for each worker who died and provide jobs to their heirs. He promised further compensation from the Sindh provincial government, after which the protesters dispersed.
Speaking at a press conference later, Shah said a seven-member committee had been formed to investigate the deaths.
In Muslim-majority Pakistan, marginalized Christians often do the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs for the lowest wages and without proper protective equipment. Rights activists say working conditions for sewer workers have not improved despite repeated government assurances.
“Such incidents involving sanitation workers are not new and have been happening for years,” said Sunil Gulzar, a Christian sanitation worker rights activist. “Many sewer workers have died or suffered serious injuries, disabilities and health problems because they were not provided with safety equipment.”
Gulzar told Christian Daily International Morning Star News that sanitation workers are one of the most marginalized sections of Pakistani society.
“We have been trying for years to convince the government to provide special protective gear for the workers, but all we get is guarantees,” he said. “It seems the lives of the workers are not important to the government.”
Christian sanitation workers Shan Masih and Asif Masih died from toxic fumes in Faisalabad on March 17.
Pakistan retained its seventh place ranking as the most difficult place to be a Christian in Open Doors' 2024 World Watch List.
Article published in Christian Daily International Morning Star News
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