Pastor looks towards court for protection

Construction of church stalled by threats, lack of help from authorities.

ISLAMABAD:

Pastor Nazir Maseeh moved a court on Monday seeking police protection for the construction of Emmanuel Church in sector G-8/2.

Maseeh filed a writ petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) requesting for protection after he received threats over the construction of a church, which has already been approved by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Chairman CDA Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, Inspector General of Police Wajid Ali Durani and Senior Superintendent of Police Tahir Alam Khan have been made respondents in the case.

The petitioner contended that CDA had allotted him a plot for the construction of Emmanuel Church on December 22, 2002. The place designated for the purpose was on the Service Road in sector G-8/2.

He said that after getting the possession of the plot, he submitted the construction plan before CDA.

However, after some time he started receiving threats and he was told that the allotment of land was being cancelled.

“Despite fulfilling all the requirements of CDA, I am still unable to begin the construction work,” he said

Maseeh added that some “extremist Muslim groups” had filed cases against the construction of church before the additional district judge but they were dismissed on May 30, 2005.

He also mentioned in his petition that after facing a long litigation, the trial court also gave judgments in his favor.

“But whenever the labourers start the work, construction material is removed and the labourers are threatened,” Maseeh said.

He told that several applications were sent to the Inspector General of Police in this regard but they did not bear any positive outcome.

He prayed to the court to provide him with protection so that he could start the construction on the land which has been allotted for this purpose by CDA. Chief justice of Islamabad High Court will take up the case today.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2011.