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 The District of Pakistan |
 Pakistan came into existence because as the time of independence from Britain to the Indo-Pak Sub-continent drew near, the Muslims of India feared that they would be dominated by the Hindu majority, and demanded a separate state for Muslims. Pakistan was born in the upheaval and chaos of partition. Muslims from India migrated to Pakistan and Hindus from Pakistan fled to India. Christian and other minorities usually stayed put an either side.
The Christian community is small, barely two percent of the total population. Most of them were converts from Hinduism and from what are called scheduled castes of India. The present Christian population is about 90% percent from the converts. The other 10% are migrants from other parts of pre-partition India which had a longer tradition of Christianity. Christianity in Pakistan is only about 100 years old. Many of the majority look down on their Christian brethren because of their origin. They regard them as an alien group.
The Muslims who have had contact with Christians through our institutions show a more positive attitude. But there are others who cannot understand how Christians came to be in Pakistan. They identify Christianity with the west and look upon Christian missionaries with suspicion.
 Beginnings: The Brothers came onto the scene in December 1959 at the invitation of the then Bishop of Multan Diocese (Punjab Province), the late Bishop Benedict Cialeo. The three Brothers, namely Brothers Oliver, Caesar and Harding, all of whom have gone to their heavenly reward, were asked to run the La Salle High School Multan. From there Brothers ventured into a Christian village about 70 km from Multan named chak no 133 Amrithnagar, to run a high school and a hostel for poor Christian students. After the nationalization of the schools in 1972 the Brothers were left only with the hostel and later on due to lack of Brothers, the hostel had to be handed back to the diocese.
The same Bishop who invited the Brothers to Pakistan, later on was transferred to the newly created diocese of Faisalabad (Punjab Province). Knowing the work of the Brothers well, he invited them to run a high school and the national Catechist Training Centre. Brothers came to the Diocese of Faisalabad in 1961.
In 1992, the Brothers had to hand over the technical school at Karachi due to lack of personnel. Brothers had worked in this institution for well over 25 years.
 On 28th December 1999 Pakistan sector celebrated 40 years since the arrival of the La Salle Brothers in Pakistan. The 40 years of Lasallian presence in Pakistan has proved a successful missionary endeavour among the Christians as well as among the Muslims.
The Brothers did not come to Pakistan to convert but just to be Christian witnesses. The Brothers are here in the predominantly Muslim country to develop in our students the sense of God's loving presence, the sense of prayer and the sense of justice.
 Besides working with the Muslims, the Brothers are also working with the very poor Christian students. Brothers run 2 high schools and two hostels for the very poor Christian students. If not for these institution many poor Christian students would not have received any education at all. Numbers of Christians are gainfully employed as teachers, technicians, catechists and skilled workers due to our institutions. Our Catholic hostels are a seed-bed for vocations.
During the past 40 years the Brothers have done quite a lot to improve the educational institutions and they are well known in the educational circles all over Pakistan. |
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