The Sunday Church Service at All Saints Church in Peshawar ended in heartbreak as two suicide bombers below themselves up while Sunday service just ended and killed more than 90 worshipers, 34 of them women, 7 children and more than 110 were injured. According to the Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan the situation is different but Church sources said the death toll is expected to rise as many of the injured are in a critical condition, interior minister said that the government would bear the cost of rebuilding the damaged church and declared three days mourning. Many other organizations announced the same.
Peshawar, capital city of KPK province, 188 Km away from the capital Islamabad, All Saints Memorial Church was its distinctive Saracen architecture first opened for service in December 1983. The church is located in Kohati gate, an inner city area of the city. The church capacity is about 500 – 600 and usually the gathering is around it, after the church service on Sunday, a person blows himself up and little later another man did the same thing. The blast shattered the glass panes of the nearby houses. Police said that the terrorists opened fire at the security guards at the entrance of the church, possibly killing one. The securities agency say it was a suicide bombing no group has as yet taken responsibility for this. They said each of the bombers was carrying eight kg of explosives. The federal government has decided to tighten the security for minorities and the institutions after this incident.
As the country was staggered by the latest bomb blast and Christians all around the country come on the roads to protest against it. Sohail Johnson, chairman Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan lead the protest rally in Lahore in front of the press club, Lahore and in Youhanabad and went to Peshawar city with his group. He said that he is going to provide them with medicine and food items as required. Bishop Yaqoob Paul also participated in the protest rally. Nadeem Anthony Advocate High Court, Yousaf Kamran, Human Rights Activist, Shaleem Yousaf, social activists also participated in protest rally in Lahore.
Albert David chairman Pakistan United Christian Movement left for Peshawar as soon as he heard about this sad incident. Tahir Naveed Chaudhry condemned the blast and said protection of minorities is a central duty of the state but unfortunately it didn’t do. Protest rally was all round the condemnation of the bombing in Islamabad/Rawalpindi as well, Samuel Yaqoob led this rally.
Dr. Paul Bhatti left for Peshawar and strongly condemned the bomb blast and said that terrorists have no religion. He expressed solidarity with the families injured.