First in years: Christians not given security clearance for President House
Religious affairs official says invitations could not be sent without approval
Religious affairs official says invitations could not be sent without approval PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
In a first in over a decade, Christians from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) were not able to attend the annual Christmas dinner at the President House scheduled for Monday.
The small but tight-knit Christian community in the tribal areas has been silently protesting against the decision of the President House for not sending invitations. Some of them even contacted government officials over the apparent snub but to no avail.
Wilson Wazir, who was appointed as one of the first minority Maliks (tribal elder) earlier in June this year, told The Express Tribune it was for the first time in more than a decade that Christians from Fata were not invited to the official dinner.
“It gives the community a feeling of being outcasts. I have attended 12 Christmas dinners over the years but this time we have been left out,” he said. At least two other elders from the community also claimed they had not been invited for the event. When they asked for an official reason, they were told they had not been given security clearance.
When contacted, an official from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony told The Express Tribune security clearance of Fata’s Christians had not been received from relevant departments. “We could not send them invitations without official approbation,” the official said requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“I am uncertain why we are being alienated without any reason,” said Wazir, who also holds a Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third highest civil award, which was awarded to him in March 2015 in recognition of his services to minorities.
Wazir appealed to Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan to intervene and help the community feel at home.
Around 15 to 20 invitations are sent every year to Christians living in Fata to attend the dinner in Islamabad. There are an estimated 15,000 Christians in Fata, a majority of whom have been living there for centuries. Their churches are mostly located inside the political compounds, structures from the colonial era.
This year, after a struggle stretching across many years, minorities were finally offered equal status as the rest of the tribesmen.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2015.
In a first in over a decade, Christians from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) were not able to attend the annual Christmas dinner at the President House scheduled for Monday.
The small but tight-knit Christian community in the tribal areas has been silently protesting against the decision of the President House for not sending invitations. Some of them even contacted government officials over the apparent snub but to no avail.
Wilson Wazir, who was appointed as one of the first minority Maliks (tribal elder) earlier in June this year, told The Express Tribune it was for the first time in more than a decade that Christians from Fata were not invited to the official dinner.
“It gives the community a feeling of being outcasts. I have attended 12 Christmas dinners over the years but this time we have been left out,” he said. At least two other elders from the community also claimed they had not been invited for the event. When they asked for an official reason, they were told they had not been given security clearance.
When contacted, an official from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony told The Express Tribune security clearance of Fata’s Christians had not been received from relevant departments. “We could not send them invitations without official approbation,” the official said requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“I am uncertain why we are being alienated without any reason,” said Wazir, who also holds a Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third highest civil award, which was awarded to him in March 2015 in recognition of his services to minorities.
Wazir appealed to Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan to intervene and help the community feel at home.
Around 15 to 20 invitations are sent every year to Christians living in Fata to attend the dinner in Islamabad. There are an estimated 15,000 Christians in Fata, a majority of whom have been living there for centuries. Their churches are mostly located inside the political compounds, structures from the colonial era.
This year, after a struggle stretching across many years, minorities were finally offered equal status as the rest of the tribesmen.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2015.