[Today’s Prayer] Bill Introduced in Punjab Provincial Assembly to Protect Christian Sanitation Workers in Pakistan

Christian Daily International (CDI) in the United States reported on September 2 (local time) that a bill has been introduced in Pakistan’s Punjab Provincial Assembly to legally guarantee the safety and welfare of sanitation workers, the majority of whom are Christians. The legislation seeks to institutionally address the longstanding practice of outsourcing hazardous work and the systemic human rights violations faced by religious minorities in Pakistani society.

(Excerpt)

The legislation was prompted directly by the deaths of four Pakistani Christian sanitation workers while on the job in the Sahiwal and Faisalabad regions this year. On May 4, Shakeel Masih and Samar Masih died from toxic gas suffocation while cleaning a manhole in Sahiwal without protective equipment. Then, on May 7, Shabbir Masih, a sanitation worker and father of three, died in Faisalabad after being exposed to deadly gas. Sanwal Masih, who was working alongside him, was also rushed to the hospital after inhaling the gas.

(Excerpt)

The Pakistan Christian Sanitation Workers’ Safety Bill proposed by Member of Parliament Chaudhry focuses on legally requiring occupational safety measures and the provision of protective equipment, moving away from the existing practice of responding with temporary measures only after workplace accidents occur. He strongly criticized the reality that workers performing some of society’s most essential jobs are sent into hazardous environments such as sewers without even basic safety equipment.

Chaudhry pointed out that the overwhelming majority of workers performing the most dangerous sanitation jobs come from Pakistan’s Christian minority community and belong to the poorest segments of society. He criticized the unequal attitude of Pakistani society toward the deaths of marginalized people, noting that if such tragedies had repeatedly affected influential members of the establishment, there would have been immediate public outrage and demands for accountability.

The terrible working conditions and religious discrimination faced by Pakistani Christian sanitation workers have recently become a major subject of criticism from international human rights organizations. Amnesty International, in a report published in July 2025, exposed the caste-based systemic religious discrimination and dangerous working conditions experienced by sanitation workers in Pakistan.

(Excerpt)

Pakistan’s judiciary has taken steps to challenge these overt, state-led practices of religious discrimination. In December 2025, the Islamabad High Court ordered authorities to completely stop using discriminatory language in government recruitment notices for sanitation workers, such as specifying that only Christians were eligible to apply. At the time, the court noted that more than 70 Pakistani Christian sanitation workers had died from toxic gas exposure since 1988 and directed the government to provide adequate protective equipment and establish monitoring systems.

The National Commission for Human Rights of Pakistan also submitted a petition to the Federal Constitutional Court calling for a complete ban on manual sewer cleaning, which exposes workers without protection to toxic gases and hazardous environments. Human rights advocacy groups are calling for the sanitation workers’ safety bill to be passed quickly, along with strong enforcement of labor and occupational safety laws. They also emphasized that those responsible for neglecting workplace safety and causing fatal accidents must be held strictly accountable.

Source: Christian Daily

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice.” (Psalm 45:6)

God, we hear the news that following the deaths of four Christian sanitation workers in Pakistan’s Punjab Province while working, a bill has been introduced to legally guarantee the safety and welfare of sanitation workers, the majority of whom are Christians.

Have mercy on the Pakistani Christian sanitation workers who are sent into hazardous environments such as sewers without even basic safety equipment. Please work so that the Pakistani government will quickly implement the provision of protective equipment and the establishment of monitoring systems.

May the caste-based religious discrimination that still exists in Pakistan come to an end, and may the sovereignty of God be proclaimed throughout Pakistan through the just scepter of our righteous God.

Make the local churches in Pakistan churches that serve the brothers and sisters who live among the poorest and most marginalized in society. May the Church in Pakistan rise up despite discrimination and oppression and proclaim the gospel of life.

May the global Church also understand God’s heart for Pakistan and pray for the suffering Christian workers in Pakistan. May missionaries be sent to proclaim the gospel in Pakistan.

Through Pakistan, may the rule and reign of God be revealed in all the lowly and marginalized places throughout the nations!