KHYBER: The district administration has ordered a survey of Christian residential colonies in Landi Kotal after repeated requests of the minority community for provision of additional accommodation facilities for them.

The office of the Khyber deputy commissioner issued a letter, directing the executive engineers of the building division, the public health engineering department and additional director local government along with the assistant commissioners, Landi Kotal and Jamrud, to initiate the survey and identify suitable locations for constructing the residential colonies for Christians.

In an application to the departments concerned, Arshad Masih, a local councillor, had pleaded that Christians had been living in tribal areas since the pre-partition time but were never entitled to purchase land for their residential purpose, nor were they provided with such facility by the successive governments.

He further pleaded that the existing living quarters were allocated to them during the British-era with no extension in the size of these colonies despite an increase in the number of Christian families. He said they were not allowed to even renovate their old structures, which were in dilapidated condition.

He also demanded extension and repair of churches, which could not accommodate the rising number of worshippers.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2024