Newlyweds Shilla and Waqar at the Mardan releif camp run by the Diocese of Peshawar (Photo: © Peshawar Diocese)Pakistani IDPs marry in church relief camp, even as more are evacuated from their homes
Amid the trauma of displacement, a double wedding brought shared joy at the Diocese of Peshawar’s relief camp in Mardan, north-west Pakistan.
Shilla, 23, was forced to flee fighting near her home in the Swat Valley a matter of weeks before her wedding to Waqar from Mardan.
The invitations had been sent – but what would happen now? When Shilla’s parents, who had fled with her to the relief camp, approached staff at the diocese for help, the team swung into action and organised the whole wedding for last Sunday , 7 June.
Shilla and Waqar shared their wedding day with Salomi, 24, also from Swat. When her marriage was settled in May little did she know that she’d be living as a displaced person in a relief camp.
Her husband, Sanawar, has been supported by the Diocese’s apprentice scheme and also their entrepreneur scheme. He is now running a dental clinic in Peshawar.
“People appreciated the Diocesan efforts to bring smiles and joys to these Internally Displaced Families,” said a diocesan spokesperson.
The same week, the Diocese, a CMS partner in the region, sent a survey team to Malakand, the gateway to the Swat Valley and decided the situation there was so dire they should evacuate the Christian families to the relief camp at Mardan.
According to a diocesan report, the area is under curfew, shops are closed, medical services are not available, and there is no transportation.
The blanket curfew was imposed by the military after they routed the Taliban in Malakand, who had controlled the town since 2007. Among the rescued residents is Shamoun Masih, 45, who lived with his family under Taliban rule – for their safety he pulled his children out of school and forced his wife to stay at home.
Now Shamoun and his family have taken up residence at the relief camp in Mardan, where the displaced people have already formed a strong community. They share out the responsibilities of keeping the halls, bathrooms, kitchens and outside spaces clean – and there’s even a committee to keep it organised.
Our friends in the Diocese of Peshawar ask us to pray:- for the displaced families: that they have the strength to bear this challenge
- for the diocesan senior management, relief staff and the volunteers to effectively serve these people
- for all our friends as they strive with the church to care for the displaced persons of Swat and FATA area
- for the military operation in the province, that peace may prevail and the people could return to their homes
If you would like to contribute financially to the Church's relief efforts, you can do so through CMS. Please use the link below, or send a cheque to CMS mentioning reference BDR (CMS, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ).