The Cantonment’s plans to permit parking at the Parsi Cemetery in the Saddar locality in Peshawar was brought to a halt following intervention by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team from the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), noted a news item carried in the September 2025 issue of What’s On, the newsletter of the Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal.
Not a single Parsi now resides in Peshawar, confirmed Dinshaw Avari, chairman of the Karachi Parsi Anjuman Trust Fund. The 2015 edition of the Zoroastrians of Pakistan a&t directory had mentioned that there was only one Parsi residing in Peshawar as compared to seven in 1995.
Cemetery in Peshawar with banner in Urdu
According to Bakht Mohammad, a research officer at the directorate of archeology, who was quoted in Pakistan’s Aaj News, the restoration work commenced after a letter from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s directorate of archeology to the Cantonment board of Peshawar, highlighting the dismal condition of the cemetery. The 1.9-acre cemetery is believed to have between 50 to 70 graves as also a bungli. Some of the graves dating back to the 19th century have inscriptions in English, Gujarati and Avestan. Restoration work included reconstruction of the boundary wall, provisions for better lighting and the digging of a borehole to supply water to plants in the adjacent park.
Seeking an update on the condition of the Peshawar aramgah, Parsiana approached the office of Rawalpindi based Isphanyar Bhandara, member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, representing the minorities. As per the video shared by Abid Hussain, political assistant to Bhandara, the entrance to the cemetery was locked with notices in Urdu pasted on the gate and on the walls. The notices state that parking is prohibited in the Parsi cemetery and also that this plot is reserved as a burial ground so no alternate use or sale would be permitted.
On August 11, 2025 observed in Pakistan as the National Minorities Day, at a function held at the President House, Bhandara suggested measures that could meaningfully improve the lives of Pakistan’s minorities. He called for the Evacuee Trust Property Board to return Sikh and Hindu places of worship to their respective communities, the restoration of control of missionary schools to the Christian community, the establishment of minority courts for swift justice and the allocation of funds to members of the National Assembly representing minorities for development projects.
Isphanyar Bhandara (r) addressing the gathering at the President House
From l: Isphanyar Bhandara, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan,
Shehbaz Sharif; above: Minoo Bhandara
According to Bhandara who is the chief executive of Murree Breweries, the minority rights are securely enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan with sufficient safeguards against discrimination. What is lacking, he stressed, is the effective implementation of these laws and rules. He noted that most prejudice and mistreatment occurs at the grassroots level, not in the higher tiers of governance, underscoring the importance of educating and sensitizing the public. He believed that media, mosques and religious scholars can play a pivotal role in fostering respect and harmony among all citizens.
The following day at a joint observance of the International Youth Day and National Minorities Day at the Jinnah Convention Centre, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to members of Pakistan’s minority communities who have made exceptional contributions across diverse fields of national life. Among the honorees, he named Isphanyar’s father, erstwhile parliamentarian Minoo Bhandara, "a statesman of rare integrity whose steadfast commitment to liberal ideals, principled politics, and intellectual discourse continues to resonate in Pakistan’s national consciousness, even 17 years after his passing away.”
The senior Bhandara was remembered for his "unwavering commitment to parliamentary decorum, exemplified by his efforts to incorporate Quaid-e-Azam’s historic August 11, 1947 speech into the nation’s constitutional framework, and for his scholarly contributions on legislative procedure and public ethics.” An erudite commentator, "his incisive articles in leading national newspapers blended historical insight with moral clarity, shaping public opinion and influencing debates on governance, minority rights and Pakistan’s democratic journey.” The posthumous award for Minoo was received by his son Isphanyar.