Islamabad - Around 78 families coming to the lone church in Wana, the main town of the tribal district of Islamic militancy dominated South Waziristan, expect their day-long Christmas celebrations on Thursday to take place in an atmosphere of peace and good will.

"We have no fears. We are going to sing our traditional Christmas songs, cut a seven-pound pineapple cake, and distribute gifts among the children, as we do every year," said Bishop Nazir Alam.

But peaceful coexistence between the small Christian community and the thousands of followers of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, a fearsome commander who is accused of dozens of suicide attacks and sending his fighters to Afghanistan to fight "infidels" from the US and NATO, has demanded extra effort in recent years.

"For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap," Alam quoted a Biblical verse. "The first lesson in Christianity is love. We give them (Taliban) love and we also get love in return."

They understand that this is also a house of God just like a mosque, he said, pointing at a single-storey church building with a cross atop it. The spire of the structure is made of tin, enabling it to withstand heavy snowfalls.

With a small Christmas tree in one corner, the building offers a panoramic view of the mighty, jagged mountains known as the Sheesha Heights.

The house of worship operates under the Gospel Pentecostal Church International, according to the bishop, a devout protestant in his early 60s who is also an employee of the Frontier Constabulary - a paramilitary force with inadequate skills to fight the terrorists plaguing the border region.

The church has existed since early 1930s when British colonial troops established a military base in Wana to fight the nationalist insurgency by Pashtun tribes in South Waziristan.

In 2000 it was moved from a site near the military barracks to the existing building, a little more than 100 metres from the central mosque in the heart of the town.

South Waziristan is again in the throes of insurgency, this one spearheaded by the Taliban and their tribal collaborators. But this time it is also directed towards Pakistan's national government.

As a result of rebel attacks and military operations in the area - lying cheek by jowl with the Pakistan-Afghan border - thousands of people, including fighters, civilians and security personnel, have been killed. An even larger number of locals have been displaced and forced into migration to safer places.

Though the region of South Waziristan suffers from turmoil and mayhem, the around 500-strong Christian community living among the 400,000 Muslims in Wana has never been harmed by the militants.

"We see here a rosy picture of mutual tolerance and religious harmony in our town. Catholics and Protestants regularly offer their Sunday prayers without any fear," said local journalist Fawad Khan.

Most of the Muslims in the town feel satisfaction to see the minority freely discharging their religious obligations, the journalist added.

Muhammad Naeem Jan, a local tribesman from the Waziri, the main tribe in South Waziristan, said: "We, the locals, have no objection to having a church here, rather we feel proud. We want the authorities to release more funds for the renovation of the sole church."

A local Taliban leader, who identified himself as Samiullah, said they tolerated Christians because they had never "made any trouble for anyone."

That tolerance has limitations, said another church official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We can congregate for Sunday services, celebrate Christmas but cannot preach anyone outside our community," he said.

"There are some Muslims here who want to convert to Christianity because they appreciate our message of love but we refuse because taking them in our community would jeopardize the security and safety of the entire Christian population," he added.

"Why should we put their lives at risk?" he said while pointing at the cheerful children gathered to participate in the two-day entertainment event arranged by the church administration.