PESHAWAR, June 27: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government has set aside Rs10 million for building a mosque in Peshawar from a Rs22 million allocation for Auqaf, Haj and religious and minority affairs.

A major part of the amount will be used for purchasing a plot of land and for initial construction work for what is planned to be a model mosque. The remaining Rs12 million in the allocation will be used on a welfare package for minorities.

During the financial year 2004-2005, the fund for minorities will be spent on two schemes renovation of places of worship of Sikhs, Hindus and Christians and purchase of land for graveyards.

"The small amount allocated in the budget for the minorities is of no use because the needs of the minorities are no different from those of the other citizens of the country. Our needs are more than just graveyards and churches," said Peter, belonging to Christian minority.

The 'model mosque' will be built on more than 40 kanals. It will have a separate portion for women and will also house a library.

"The land for the mosque couldn't be bought last year because it was a large project and needed a big plot of land. We want the government to give us land free of cost in Hayatabad, an official told Dawn.

"A 30 kanal site in Hayatabad was earmarked for a stadium but because the city were already has stadium, we have urged the government to allot that place for the model mosque," the official said.

The 'minority affairs' section was attached to Auqaf, Haj and religious affairs by the government last year.

According to the 1998 provincial census report, the number of Christians in the NWFP is 36,668, Hindus 4,498, Qadianis 42,150, and people of other religions 14,726 - totalling 98,634 in a population of 17,735,912.

According to minority groups, while the MMA government is keen on taking up the mosque project, it does not have any plan for a new church or a Sikh or Hindu temple.

A leader of a minority group told Dawn that "minorities go to old places of worship because not a single new church or temple has been built; the same is the case with graveyards".

According to him, missionary schools and hospitals are run with foreign donations, but people working in these institutions, mostly belonging to minority group, do not get any facilities or incentives.

"We don't get any government job so we don't get any raise in our salaries. My wife who is working as a PTC teacher in a missionary school has been getting monthly salary of Rs3,000 for the last 10 years," he said.

The performance of our representatives in the provincial assembly had been disappointing, he said.

Innocent Felix, a Christian MPA belonging to the MMA, told the NWFP Assembly that his community and other minorities had supported enforcement of Shariat in the province.

"We have allocated a handsome amount for the construction of a mosque from the amount earmarked for minorities in the current budget," he added.

Saib Singh, belonging to the Sikh community is a councillor. His complaint is that there were 600 Sikh families in Peshawar but they have no representative in the NWFP Assembly.