The 140-year-old St Paul’s Church in Manora is in its final stages of renovation with money raised privately as relevant government departments have turned away from any help. Credit for this goes to the local Christian community despite the fact that their numbers are dwindling. It is an irony that Manora Island’s rich diversity can be seen from the places of worship of different communities that are settled here, the government remains oblivious to many of them.

The renovation process, it has been learnt, had to be completed in two phases due to financial constraints as the community was not offered any financial help from the relevant government department or the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) – in whose jurisdiction the church lies.

The church, built in 1865 in a simple, yet traditional manner with a high cathedral like roof and a small assembly hall, is situated right across the tallest lighthouse of Pakistan, which is maintained by the KPT. The church caters to approximately 25 to 30 families in Manora. The majority of the old Christian inhabitants migrated from the island to different urban areas in Karachi due to various reasons. “We are trying to restore the exterior to its original form, but it is difficult since the building is quite old and the kind of bricks used then are not available today,” said a worker at the church while talking to The News. Most of the original work has been completely cemented over, however, the old wooden trusses inside are still intact.

The irony of this renovation process is that while the KPT has turned the lighthouse into a private entertainment area where lawns are maintained in immaculate condition thanks to round the clock watering, there is little water available for renovation purposes of the church. But this has not deterred the community. “We want to preserve this church because it is also a heritage site but we do not have enough finances so we’re doing the best we can with the little money we have,” Rev. Saleem Dawood, who offers services at the church every Sunday, said. “Since there are not many families here and not many from the Christian community on the other end are willing to cross the island for their weekly service, this church has been neglected.” Father Dawood further informed that the renovation work resumed four months back after it remained pending for a year due to lack of finances. The community had to appeal to the Protestant Bishop of Karachi Diocese, Bishop Sadiq Daniel – who then undertook the project.

On contacting Chief Engineer KPT, Nawaz Khan, rejected the allegation that the KPT did not offer any assistance. “Had the minority leader approached the KPT Chairman, we would have helped.”

Khan further said that he was aware of the renovation process and that he has sent a requisition for Mangalore Tiles to be used for construction. “I will also ensure that the renovation process is expedited,” he added. Most of the Christians, say area residents, had been employed in the KPT – a majority of whom were Protestants – but a large portion migrated to mainland Karachi after accepting the lucrative benefits offered by the KPT in the (voluntary) Golden Handshake Scheme to over 5,000 of its employees in 2004.

Manora Island is approximately 15 to 20 minutes away from mainland Karachi by a boat. It also comprises worship places of Sikh and Hindus as well. The Shri Varun Dev Mandir and the Manora Gurdwara are two of the other worship places that have also failed to attract attention of the responsible ministry for their upkeep.