Daily Times

HYDERABAD: Christian community leaders on Monday have decried the forced occupation of Christian Missionary Trust building Mission Compound in Sukkur by builder mafia with active help of police.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Christian leaders Bishop Kaleem John, Father James, Father Daniel Fayyaz,Pastor Nazir Masih and others told that builder mafia was threatening Christian families residing in Mission compound to vacate the building as the builder wanted to build a plaza there.

They told that on the night of the New Year, about 30 police personnel on eight mobile vans accompanied with few private persons attacked the Mission Compound in Sukkur and started to beat men, women and children and threw them out of houses. Police torture continued for two long hours during which a two year old child was injured under police boot, while police had tortured Prof. Sohail Rashid and many others.

They claimed that the police team led by Inspector Abdul Malik searched the homes and took away gold jewelries with them.

The Bishop and others told that Mission Compound was not a property of any individual but it was Trust Mission’s property and under Pakistan’s law cannot be sold or purchased.

They said Diocese of Hyderabad Church of Pakistan was a religious trust with Bishotp Kaleem John as its chairman and also caretaker of all Churches in Sindh. They said that Christians were patriotic citizens of Pakistan and had laid down their lives alongside Muslims for creation of Pakistan.

Further, when the Christians went to police station in Sukkur to register their complaint, they were denied by duty officer. Christian communities had also held protest in front of press club Sukkur but were denied justice.

Builders want to create a law & order situation in Sindh. Later, the Christians held protest demonstration in front of press club Hyderabad and chanted slogans and demanded protection for their religious buildings. They also demanded of the President, Prime Minister, Sindh Governor, Sindh Chief Minister and the Chief Justice to take notice of the violence against them.