KHYBER: Differences have surfaced between two groups of Christians in Landi Kotal over the utilisation of residential plots and alleged manipulation of funds allocated for construction of homes for them.

Sources told this scribe that former minority MPA Wilson Wazir was accused by his rivals of selling some remaining land, which the local Christian community had jointly purchased for construction of a residential colony.

They said that 21 Christian families, who had been residing in the over a century old and congested living compound inside the British-era army camp of Landi Kotal, had pooled money from their own resources and purchased 240 marlas of land in 2018 for construction of equal sized houses as their old houses had become overcrowded and their buildings too were in a bad shape.

They said that the then Fata Secretariat had also allocated Rs40 million in 2015 for repair and reconstruction of old and dilapidated houses of Christian families inside the army camp.

They said that Wilson Wazir somehow managed to get hold of the fund allocated for repair of damaged houses and in connivance with some officials of the previous district administration started construction of houses for those 21 families, who had earlier purchased the land near Landi Kotal grid station.

Some of the Christian families residing in Rangarh street of Landi Kotal had also objected to use of fund for construction of new residential colony as it was allocated for repair of their damaged houses.

A group of those, who had pooled the money for purchase of land for their residential colony, on Tuesday accused Wilson Wazir of unlawfully and secretly selling some 70 marlas of unutilised plots to Christian families, who had not contributed money for the purchase of the said land.

Malak Ghafar Masih, Paster Georg Masih, minority councillor Andaryas Masih, Prakash Masih and others accused Wilson Wazir of not only selling the unutilised plots but also of harassing their family members and threatening to dislodge them from their newly-built houses.

They said that their houses were built with official funds and the former MPA was not authorised to eject anyone from those houses.

They appealed to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Peshawar commissioner, Khyber deputy commissioner and commandant of Khyber Rifles to refrain the former MPA from using intimidating tactics against them and let them live in peace.

Wilson Masih, when contacted, said that he had not sold any residential plot and he was rather making efforts to obtain funds for construction of a school, health centre and community centre for Christians in Landi Kotal.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024