RAWALPINDI: A national cricket tournament organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and the associated closure of roads has caused anxiety in the Christian community in the area who cannot access their church in Shamsabad due to strict security measures.

The tournament is expected to end on December 25, the same day as Christmas. According to the community members, they were not allowed to visit St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Double Road for service on Sunday because the traffic police had cut off all the routes leading to the area due to the cricket match. Now, they fear the same thing will happen on Christmas.

The church is located near Allama Iqbal Park (formerly Nawaz Sharif Park) in Shamsabad and is frequented by churchgoers from Sadiqabad, Dhoke Kala Khan, Iqbal Town, and adjoining areas every Sunday for weekly prayers. It usually hosts three services every Sunday – at 9am, 11am, and 1pm – since it has the capacity to accommodate only 2,000 people at a time, but on Christmas, it issues a separate schedule for three services to accommodate the community.

On Sunday, the churchgoers were disappointed to learn about road blockades, saying there was no alternate route to access the worship place. The tournament final on Dec 25 only aggravates their anxieties, with many wondering how will they go to the church to celebrate the festival.

Security measures for cricket matches make Shamsabad church inaccessible to local community

Saleem Bhatti, a resident of Dhoke Kala Khan, said that his family wanted to go to the church on December 15 but it was difficult for them to get there. Other churches, for example St. Joseph Church in Lal Kurti were far away, he said. George Sindhu, a resident of Dhoke Paracha, said all community members were registered at the Shamsabad church, asking how they would get there on Christmas due to the road closures.

He said that performing their religious rituals without any hurdle was their fundamental right, demanding easy access to the church. It was difficult for the families to start their Christmas celebrations in their houses without offering prayers in the church, he added.

When contacted, St. Mary’s Catholic Church administration said that their priest had written a letter to the administration urging them to open roads on Sunday as well as on Christmas but received no response. However, the New Town police station invited the church administration on Tuesday (today) to listen to their issue. He said it was difficult for people to get to the church even on foot.

On the other hand, traders of the double road expressed their resentment over the closure of roads due to matches. “For Pakistan’s teams, the administration adopted security measures which are beyond our understanding as there is no security threat to the players,” said Muhammad Kamran, a shopkeeper working at Double Road.

Rawalpindi Traders Association President Shahid Ghafoor Paracha said that the cricket stadium should be shifted outside the commercial and residential areas as security measures created problems for the residents and the traders on Double Road and Murree Road.

He said that roads should not be closed in the name of security for the matches. “If there is a problem, then the matches should be played outside the city so people will not be disturbed,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2024