KHYBER: Christians living in Landi Kotal and other parts of the Khyber tribal district have demanded the right to purchase properties along with provision of better facilities at their residences.

In a letter addressed to the army chief, corps commander Peshawar, inspector general of Frontier Corps, provincial chief secretary and to the Khyber deputy commissioner, Malak Arshad Masih, a minority tehsil council member, pleaded that his community had been living in parts of Khyber since 1914, but was still without basic facilities.

He contended that despite living in the tribal district for over a century, Christians were still not entitled to own or purchase land.

Arshad Masih argued that their graveyards too were in need of expansion as the existing ones had little space left for more burials.

He said the only minority graveyard was situated inside the army camp in Landi Kotal, and requested the COAS and IG-FC to provide them with additional land for graveyard.

Arshad Masih further demanded that funds should be provided for completion of an under-construction church inside the army camp. He said solar systems and CCTV cameras should be installed at the church and their living quarters in Landi Kotal and Jamrud.

He said his community was also faced with acute shortage of drinking water both at their homes and at the churches. He lamented that his community had been pleading their case for the last five years but wasn’t provided any relief.

He said the provincial Auqaf and minorities department had also turned down their request with an excuse of paucity of development funds for the minority communities.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2023