Disputed Church Landمتنازعہ چرچ زمین

Sometime in the late 1980s, the lanes ending around the 26 and 27 streets in the A area included land that had been allocated for church purposes. For example, the land where the ARP Church now stands was designated for the church. Similarly, land was also allocated for the Catholic Church (St. Francis) in the Catholic Church lane, near the school lane. At the end of that area, there was an open space consisting of around eight plots. A boundary wall had been built there, and electricity meters had also been installed. At that time, the school held many activities there because it was a large open space within the boundary wall. Since the church building had not yet been constructed, the land, though reserved for church purposes, was being used by the school with mutual understanding for children’s activities. The school did not have its own playground, so it regularly used the space. In addition, whenever the church organized major events, they were also held there. At one point, we even organized a mela (fair) inside that compound. For a long time, the church land remained under our use. Later, however, a drive began claiming that the land further ahead belonged to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA). Army officials came, and although the lanes in B Area extend much further ahead, they exceeded their authority within the area. All the open land ahead, including the church plots, was completely demolished, and the space was taken over. At present, there is no garbage dump there, and no one has officially occupied the land, but it remains disputed territory. To this day, the Catholic Church does not invest in disputed land. A court case was also filed against DHA because the land had originally been leased from KMC. Not only had electricity meters been installed there, but the land had also been formally leased through proper procedures. Councilor Mr. Shareef Ernest had facilitated the lease, and there was an official lease file as evidence. The case against DHA continued for a long time, but DHA, being a powerful institution, no conclusion was ever reached. By then, however, the land had already come under their control. Initially, our plots were vertical, and later, through an understanding with the Muslim community, horizontal plots were also designated. But afterward, the church itself did not continue supporting the effort. The boundary wall could not be rebuilt, and everything that had existed earlier had already been demolished. At present, illegal elements are attempting to occupy the land. However, the local Muslim community has been supportive and does not want outsiders to seize the church plots. The issue is that the support that should be coming from our own side, particularly from the church administration, is lacking. As a result, the matter continues unresolved.