Pakistani authorities have settled a dispute between rival boards at a 148-year-old Protestant seminary, restoring the leadership of Presbyterian pastor Majid Abel.
A four-person commission of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies found that the Gujranwala Theological Seminary board meeting that ousted Abel and made allegations of financial fraud was unconstitutional. Principal Nosheen Khan did not have the standing to call a special meeting, the commission said, and the board that met with her on January 2 had no legitimate authority.
Decisions made in that meeting—including the decision to eject Abel, the seminary board’s chair—were not legal, according to the government commission.
The board that met two days later on January 4 “to address growing concerns about the credibility of the institution” and fired Khan was the legitimate board, the commission found. That board’s decisions are binding.
“I have the right to call a meeting,” Abel told Christianity Today. “Nosheen is an employee and, being an employee, she has no power to call a board meeting.”
Gujranwala Theological Seminary, located about 100 kilometers north of Lahore, is one of the premier Protestant schools in Pakistan. Founded by American Presbyterians, the seminary maintains a close relationship with the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, the second largest Protestant denomination in the country. It also serves the largest denomination—the Church of Pakistan—and trains evangelical ministers from other churches.
The seminary currently has about 90 students and has trained more than 12,000 ministers since 1877. Conflict at the school has the potential to divide Protestants across Pakistan. Earlier this year, police in Gujranwala warned provincial authorities that the quarrel could “breach the sectarian peace and harmony.”
The government commission met three times to review the evidence. Khan missed two of those meetings, according to government records. But officials looked at documents submitted by both parties, including the seminary’s constitution and the most recent registration paperwork
The commission ruled in Abel’s favor at the end of May. Khan told CT that she does not accept the decision.
“I am exposing [Abel] and will keep exposing him,” she said. “I have taken oath that I would fight till the last … and I will fight till the last breath.”
Khan said she has acted in accordance with the constitution but the commission “sold itself.” Government corruption is an ongoing issue in Pakistan. According to the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, Pakistan has a serious problem with police officers and judges taking bribes. However, Khan has not offered any evidence of corruption.
Without additional evidence, the legal battle for control of the seminary appears to be over. The May ruling was decisive and was followed up with action. The chief of the city police and about 20 officers changed the seminary locks in June. They gave the new keys to Abel.
Abel told CT that he believes that settles it and the seminary is safe now.
“There is nothing left in litigation, expect a waste of time,” he said. “We have given Nosheen an opportunity for a graceful exit. … She agreed and went home but then changed her mind.”
The origins of the dispute between Khan and Abel are unclear. Abel recommended Khan for the role of principal back in 2015. Khan, the first woman ordained in a Presbyterian church in Pakistan, ran day-to-day operations of the seminary while Abel acted as chief fundraiser.
By 2024, however, the two seemed locked in irreconcilable differences. Three different mediation efforts—one led by a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister, one by a friendly city official, and one by a Christian leader in the Pakistani army—all failed.
Maqsood Kamil, a former professor at Gujranwala Theological Seminary who has had conflict with both Abel and Khan, said the controversy reflects larger problems with Presbyterianism in Pakistan.
“The Presbyterian Church in Pakistan is mired in power struggles,” Kamil told CT. “Some leaders remain in office for decades, while others are pushed out through conspiracies.”
Gujranwala Theological Seminary’s annual board meeting in March 2024 was very contentious. Administrators raised questions about Khan’s leadership, seminary officials say. Khan said she also raised questions about Abel’s leadership. The seminary’s accountant resigned, was fired, or both.
After the meeting, Khan brought in an outside firm to investigate possible financial misconduct in ongoing construction work, even though the board had signed off on an annual audit and asked no questions about the spending.
At the same time, the school did not submit meeting minutes and the other paperwork to the government and the seminary’s registration lapsed. Abel accused Khan of doing this deliberately as part of a scheme to “grab control of the institution,” according to an official complaint filed with the government commission. Khan said Abel realized she was uncovering fraud and became her “sworn enemy.”
New construction work stopped at the seminary that summer. The company doing the work—headed by Abel’s older brother, Ashraf—complained that Khan was delaying payments and making it impossible for him to keep laborers working.
Khan said she had concerns about the financial arrangement.
“Large sums of money had flown into the accounts of his two brothers and there were not receipts of it,” she told CT. “These are very clear things.”
Khan publicized the investigation of financial fraud at the end of the year. As CT and others reported, Abel was accused of sloppy recordkeeping and possible fraud. The financial firm that wrote the report, however, noted that its investigation was not done according to the best practices of the International Standards of Auditing. Investigators only had access to the information that Khan gave them, according to seminary officials.
The legitimate board does not believe there is any merit to the allegations of financial misconduct. Seminary officials say the construction spending appeared proper, and the work was done for a reasonable amount of money.
An internal review of financial records also showed that Abel didn’t handle payments—Khan did. She told CT it’s true that she signed off on construction spending.
“The accountant would bring the final financial report for me to sign, which I would sign,” she said. “Now I realize I made a serious mistake.”
Khan’s replacement at Gujranwala Theological Seminary told CT that the construction work is finished and everything looks good.
“The building is amazing,” said Jack Haberer, a minister in the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA). “[We have a] very large lecture hall, four large classrooms, and administrative offices. About 6,000 square feet. In round numbers, it would cost at least $600,000 in the US. It was built there for about $120,000 US.”
Haberer said the school is ready for a new semester and officials hope to turn a new page. Gujranwala Theological Seminary will start classes in September.
Additional reporting by Asif Angelo Aqeel.
