Christians still "insecure" and isolated a month after Peshawar massacre
Peshawar (AsiaNews) - In spite of
the claims made by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , in
northern Pakistan , which announced the strengthening of security measures for
churches and Christian places of worship , the real situation for the religious
minority remains fragile and critical. It's
been a little over a month after the 22 September massacre at All Saints Church
in Peshawar, when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the vicinity of the
building causing more than 140 deaths and 161 injured. Moreover,
further investigations confirm the "real threat" of attacks on
churches. However,
after weeks characterized by statements of solidarity and (empty) promises, the
community "is not satisfied" with the measures put in place by the
local authorities and are clamoring for more protection.
The
Christian minority feels "insecure" and laments the lack of attention
from heads of government. The community
also challenges the (alleged) measures relating to the security taken so
far. One month on from the carnage, the
wave of indignation and emotion has given way to the everyday reality. Since
the beginning of the war on terror Peshawar has been a target of fundamentalist
violence, the Pakistani government is seeking peace with the Taliban, but such
attacks bring into question the seriousness of any talks.
Speaking to
AsiaNews on the matter Msger. Rufin
Anthony , bishop of Islamabad / Rawalpindi , stresses that it is "sad"
to see that in spite of repeated threats to churches "security measures
are not yet satisfactory". Police
claim the opposite but the prelate adds "there is no visible trace of sny
improvement!". "We
ask the competent authorities - said the bishop - to take the necessary
measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again".
Fr. John
Gill, of the Diocese of Peshawar, was present during the attack. "I
heard a huge explosion - he says - and ran immediately to help the victims.
Since that day we have repeatedly asked for help and protection to the churches,
but so far we have not seen any tangible result." This
is echoed by John Naveed , a parishioner, who says that " there are only
two or three police on guard" at Sunday Mass, " I'm not afraid of dying
in the church, I am not worried about me" , he concludes, but for the
health and the
future " of my children ."
With
a population of over 180 million people (97 per cent Muslim), Pakistan is the
sixth most populous country in the world and the second Muslim nation after
Indonesia. Just under 80 per cent are Sunni Muslim, and 20 per cent are Shia. Hindus
are around 1.85 per cent; Christians are 1.6 per cent and Sikhs 0.04 per cent.
Violence against ethnic or religious minorities is commonplace across the
country, especially Christians a favorite target for Islamic fundamentalists. There
have been dozens of incidents of violence, including targeted attacks against
entire communities - Gojra in 2009 or Joseph Colony Lahore in March last year -
or abuses against individuals, often perpetrated under the pretext of blasphemy
laws that end up hitting innocent victims (the case of the Christian minor
Rimsha Masih).
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