PIL condemns attack on Quetta church

Islamabad: The Chairman Pakistan Interfaith League (PIL), Sajid Ishaq, strongly condemned the dastardly terrorist attack against the members of peaceful Christian community who were attending a mass in Quetta’s Bethel Memorial Methodist Church on Sunday.

“The peaceful Pakistani Christian community was busy praying and preparing for the festivities of approaching Christmas when they came under attack from these cowards who have respect for no religion.

“They descended upon the innocent worshipers loaded with explosives and armed with deadly automatic weapons and took lives of 9 men and women besides leaving over 40 injured with various kinds of wounds,” Sajid Ishaq said.

He said that no religion in the world allows killing of innocent, unarmed people inside a place of worship. “Be it a church or a mosque. A ‘mandar’ or a ‘gurdawar’! These are places for worshiping God and preaching love, peace and harmony. Yet these terrorists entered the holy premises of the church and killed and injured all these innocent people, who are already a small part of the society,” the PIL Chairman said.

He lauded the quick response by the Quetta Police, which effectively engaged these terrorists and eventually killed them. Also he appreciated the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Constabulary, which came rushing for the help of police to handle the situation.

“Today’s attack has once again shocked the small Pakistani Christian community throughout the country. The terrorism against Christian community in Pakistan has emerged as a new phenomenon, which has made them feel highly vulnerable.

“After the terror attacks on Christian churches and institutions in Peshawar, Islamabad, Murree and Lahore the government should have already put adequate security arrangements in place for protection ahead of Christmas celebrations,” Sajid Ishaq said.

However, he added, being the Pakistanis, the Christian community also is ready to fight the menace of terrorism and would not be deterred by such cowardly attacks on them or their places of worship and institutions.

The PIL Chairman expressed hope that the police and other agencies now engaged in investigating the incident will soon be able to track down the elements behind this attack on the Quetta church and will bring them to the book according to the law of the land. He also urged the government to ensure more effective security arrangements for Christian places of worships and institutions, particularly in wake of the approaching Christmas.