KHYBER: The minority communities, especially Christian families, residing in Khyber have demanded of the federal and provincial governments to allocate funds for purchase of land for construction of residential colonies for them.

In two separate letters addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, the Khyber Christian community contended that more than 300 minority families were residing in different parts of Khyber in government quarters, mostly situated inside official colonies or military cantonment in Landi Kotal since the creation of Pakistan.

They said that their forefathers had settled down in different tribal districts in 1914 but had never been given the right to own personal properties as they were either considered outsiders or the local people were not willing to sell them their properties.

They said that as now they were issued local domiciles, they were entitled to all the basic rights including ownership of properties and a separate quota in government jobs along with a share in development funds.

Malak Arshad Masih, a member of Christian community, told Dawn that former political administration of erstwhile Khyber Agency had purchase some land for setting up a residential colony for Christians where so far 21 houses measuring only five marla each were constructed.

He said that with an increase in their population and very small size of the houses, they had to compromise on their privacy as 15 to 20 persons were living in every house, mostly one-room, which were not only small but very congested.

He said that in their letters, they demanded release of adequate funds for purchase of land and then construction of a house for almost every minority family currently resident in Khyber.

Malak Arshad Masih also demanded of the Jamrud administration to divert sewerage drain from their church and residential compound as the sewerage water not only entered their houses but also their worship place.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2021