Youhanabad

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Youhanabad is a residential neighbourhood in Nishtar Town within Lahore, Pakistan.

It is the largest majority Christian area in the city of Lahore. [1] [2]

A 2006 report put the number of inhabitants at 200,000, while it was reported by DAWN newspaper in 2015 that the area was home to at least 100,000 Christians. [3]

Two churches were attacked on 15 March 2015, a Sunday, by suicide bombers. At least 15 people, including two policemen, were killed and 78 injured, 30 of them critically. The militant Islamist group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said they were behind the attacks. An enraged Christian mob killed two Muslims, in an instance of Street Vigilantism, and later it was revealed that the two Muslims were innocent though eyewitnesses claim the individuals were involved in the attack. Later, many Christians were arrested. [4]

It was named in 1970 after the name of a boy youhana son of a well-known Landlord Palous Massih.Palous had owned almost half of the area and the remaining was owned by many Anglo-Indians.

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References

  1. Youhanabad, Nishtar Town, Lahore on The Punjab Gazette, Government of Punjab website Published 22 August 2017, Retrieved 11 January 2024
  2. Kashif Nawab (13 October 2019). "They christened it Youhanabad, Phase II". The News International newspaper. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. Sidra Zia (10 September 2016). "The neglected and forgotten residents of Youhanabad, Lahore". The Express Tribune newspaper. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  4. Waseem Riaz (15 March 2015). "15 killed in Taliban attack on Lahore churches". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 12 January 2024.