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.”