For Christian ‘minorities’, a book is photographic evidence of their presence — and past

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Published: September 27, 2011

KARACHI: On a dusty paved road, tucked away in a corner of Gojra, St John Church’s bright red steeple is visible just above the treetops and yellowing buildings.

The building was established on November 18, 1913 and even today churchgoers gather here every Sunday for Mass. Churches such as this one are hidden away in almost every corner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, often mistaken for the mosques that they stand alongside or overlooked altogether.

On Monday, the Deputy British High Commission launched a thick burgundy book bearing a crisp picture of a wood-panelled St Mathews church in Nathia Gali, titled ‘Churches of Pakistan’. The book is a compilation of photographs of Pakistan’s Christians through their architecture by Dr Safdar Ali Shah and Syed Javaid A. Kazi.

It includes an invaluable chapter on the history of the Church in Pakistan “This is a tribute to Pakistani Christians who have done so much for the country yet many of whom remain unsung and unremembered,” said Paramount Publishing Enterprise chief executive officer Iqbal Saleh Muhammad.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/261124/in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-for-christian-minorities-a-book-is-photographic-evidence-of-their-presence--and-past/