Government-sponsored Christmas celebrations in Pakistan this year marked a historic departure from the country’s decades-long struggle with religious extremism — where religious minorities, including Christians, have been targeted in bombings, mob attacks, and discriminatory practices.
For the first time since Pakistan’s independence, the federal government and provincial administrations formally sponsored Christmas events on a large, nationwide scale, projecting an official commitment to religious freedom.
From Islamabad to Lahore and Rawalpindi to Karachi, Christmas was not confined to church compounds. Instead, it was observed with state patronage, official messaging, public visibility and high-level participation, particularly in Punjab province, where government authorities organized major ceremonies, welfare distributions, and interfaith events for Christians.
The gesture drew rare bipartisan praise from the Pakistani Christian community and progressive Muslim voices, many of whom described it as a long-overdue recognition of citizenship rather than charity.
A National Moment
Across Pakistan on Thursday, Dec. 25, Christians marked Christmas with special prayer services, midnight masses, and community gatherings held under heightened security. Churches were decorated with lights and Christmas trees, while Christian neighborhoods displayed banners and festive symbols — a public assertion of identity often muted by fear. In major cities, processions and peace rallies brought unusual visibility to the Christian community.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in an official message on the social media platform X, framed Christmas not as a minority observance but as a national moment.
“Christmas is a message for humanity that connects us with feelings of love and goodwill,” Sharif wrote, praising Jesus Christ for his message of peace and brotherhood and describing Christians as an “active, positive and peaceful segment of society.”
Sharif explicitly acknowledged the Christian community’s contributions to education, healthcare, social welfare and the fight against terrorism, urging Pakistanis to renew their commitment to unity and social harmony.Addressing a Christmas ceremony at the Prime Minister’s House, Sharif specifically acknowledged Justice A.R. Cornelius, a former chief justice of Pakistan, for his exemplary role in strengthening the country’s judicial system; Air Commodore Cecil Chaudhry for his valor in the defense of Pakistan; and Dr. Ruth Pfau for her extraordinary humanitarian work in healthcare, especially her lifelong fight against leprosy in the country.
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a separate message, grounded his comments in Pakistan’s founding ideology. Citing Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Aug. 11, 1947, address to the constituent assembly, Zardari reaffirmed that Pakistan was envisioned as a state where citizens were free to worship without fear.
“Christmas brings hope, peace and compassion, reminding us of the bonds that unite all human beings,” he said, adding that the constitution guarantees equal rights and religious freedom.
Zardari also paid tribute to prominent Christian figures, acknowledging the community’s long-standing contributions to national defense, politics, and public service.
Military’s Symbolic Participation
The most striking moment came when the chief of defense forces and army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, attended Christmas celebrations at the Anglican Church of Pakistan’s Christ Church in Rawalpindi — a highly symbolic act in a country where the military wields significant political influence.
According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Munir described Christmas as an occasion reflecting shared values of compassion and unity, and reiterated that the Pakistan armed forces were committed to protecting the dignity, security, and equal rights of all citizens.
Invoking Jinnah’s vision, the army chief stressed that minority rights were a cornerstone of Pakistan’s ideology, praised the Christian community’s service within the armed forces, and emphasized that Pakistan’s strength lies in diversity and constitutional equality, not religious uniformity.
Christian leaders present at the church described the visit as a powerful gesture of solidarity, noting that such visible engagement from the military leadership was without precedent.
Punjab Takes the Lead
The most expansive government-sponsored celebrations took place in Punjab, home to the largest Christian population in Pakistan.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz personally attended a government-sponsored Christmas ceremony at the Anglican Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Lahore, where she vowed to stand “like a wall” against injustice faced by minorities.
“We are not Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or Hindus first — we are Pakistanis,” she declared.
The chief minister announced immediate steps to resolve issues related to minority graveyards, instructed officials to expand budgetary allocations for minority welfare, and revealed plans to increase the Minority Card amount from 75,000 rupees ($268) to 100,000 rupees ($357).
She also highlighted symbolic actions, including government sanitation workers cleaning churches ahead of Christmas, and warned that “any government that fails to protect minority rights has no justification to remain in power.”
During the ceremony, minority cards and Christmas grant checks were distributed, while diplomats from the United States, Britain and other countries attended alongside leaders of multiple faiths. The event opened with recitations from both the Quran and the Bible, followed by a choir performance – a carefully curated display of interfaith harmony.
Clergy and community leaders thanked federal and provincial authorities, with the former Bishop of Lahore Diocese of the Church of Pakistan, Bishop Emeritus Rt. Rev. Alexander John Malik, conferring on Maryam Nawaz the title “Daughter of Punjab.”
Others described the 2025 celebrations as a moment when the state appeared to recognize Christians as equal citizens rather than a tolerated minority.
Progressive Muslim commentators echoed the sentiment on social media, arguing that the state-backed celebrations reinforced Pakistan’s constitutional identity and countered narratives of exclusion promoted by extremist groups.
Prominent journalist and commentator Raza Rumi lauded the Punjab government for installing a large Christmas tree in the heart of Lahore.
“A 42-foot-tall Christmas tree has been installed at Liberty Chowk, Lahore, symbolizing love, plurality, and inclusion,” Rumi wrote on Facebook. “The initiative reflects government of Punjab’s attempt to acknowledge the Christian minority. Let’s hope further steps are taken beyond such symbolic (but important) gestures.”
A leading minority rights activist acknowledged that the scale and coordination of Christmas 2025 represented a meaningful shift in state posture, but cautioned that symbolism must translate into structural protections, legal reform, and accountability for past violence.
“We welcome the federal and provincial government’s gesture of celebrating Christmas at official levels, but a lot more needs to be done to actually protect the rights of minorities, and to promote religious tolerance in the country,” Samson Salamat of the Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality) wrote on Facebook.
In a country where religious minorities have often been forced to mourn quietly, this year’s Christmas was loud, visible, and officially endorsed. Whether it marks a sustained change or a singular moment remains to be seen, but for Pakistan’s Christians it was a rare affirmation that the state was standing beside them, not merely guarding them.
