Lawmakers in Pakistan’s Punjab have criticised the provincial government for allocating no funds for the restoration of worship places belonging to minority communities and for failing to earmark adequate development funds for areas inhabited by these communities.”Not a single penny was allocated in the provincial development budget for 2025-26 for the restoration of churches or temples in Punjab. Likewise, hardly any funds were set aside for the uplift of Christian neighbourhoods,” Punjab Assembly lawmaker Baba Falbous Christopher said during a recent assembly session.Christopher, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, urged the government to allocate substantial funds in the upcoming 2026-27 budget not only for the restoration of churches and temples but also for the provision of basic facilities to minority communities.Hindu lawmaker Basro Jee of the Pakistan Peoples Party said a large Hindu population resides in south Punjab, yet no meaningful welfare projects have been launched for them.”Even the limited funds allocated in the 2025-26 budget for the development of Hindu localities were later withdrawn,” he alleged, adding that the Maryam Nawaz government needed to pay greater attention to the welfare of minority groups.During the debate, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan questioned the performance of the Minority Affairs Ministry, led by Punjab’s first Sikh minister, Ramesh Singh Arora.”The minority population, deprived of basic facilities, continues to face acute shortages of drinking water, sanitation and health care. Development funds should, therefore, first be directed towards these essential human needs,” Khan said.Defending the government’s performance, Arora said the problems faced by minorities had persisted since the creation of Pakistan in 1947 and “could not be resolved overnight”.He said the chief minister had increased the budget of the Minority Affairs Department by 300 per cent over the past two years.”The government is working on the restoration of historic religious sites and will ensure greater development funding for minority communities across the province,” he added.According to the Minority Rights Group, religious minorities in Pakistan – including Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis, Sikhs and smaller communities such as the Kalasha – often live in impoverished and marginalised conditions marked by systemic discrimination, economic hardship and security concerns.”Although they collectively make up around 4 per cent of the population, these groups frequently live under a constant sense of fear and are often treated as second-class citizens,” the organisation says.