A RAID was conducted on the residence of the Principal of
Edwardes College, Peshawar, in Pakistan, on Tuesday of last
week.
The Principal, the Revd Dr Titus Presler, said on Monday that
"about 12 personnel in two vehicles forced their way through the
main gate of the College". He was asked to leave the country, but
"no written notification was given, whereas regular government
channels make written notifications. The officials did not identify
themselves in a way that could be verified. Extensive enquiries
made since the raid have failed to identify them or their agency
with any certitude."
Dr Presler said that, "After consultation with appropriate
authorities, I have not changed my travel plans in response to the
raid." He confirmed that he had a work visa authorised by the
Interior Ministry of the Government of Pakistan and issued by the
Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC.
Dr Presler reported two instances of "harassment" this month.
Five days before the raid, a group that included one of the people
who had visited him had visited the Bishop of Peshawar, the Rt Revd
Humphrey S. Peters, and warned him that he and his family would
"suffer consequences" if he attempted to contact the Ministry of
the Interior about the cancellation of Dr Presler's visa. After the
raid, two senior administrators at the College had been told to
meet the caller at a park near by, or be arrested. They had not
agreed to the demand, and there had since been no repetition.
Dr Presler suggested that the events were part of "the general
pressure on the Christian community in Pakistan", which included
"harassing its efforts to contribute to higher education in the
nation".