Lahore attack: Christians and Muslims thank Caritas for financial aid
Caritas Pakistan hands out cheques worth US$ 380 to 19 beneficiaries, including four Muslim families. The Taliban’s Easter Sunday attack killed 78 and wounded 350, mostly Muslims. “I pray to Allah that others follow the example of the Christians,” Muslim doctor says.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – Caritas Pakistan on Wednesday handed out financial aid to people who survived a terror attack in Lahore, Punjab. Cheques of 40,000 rupees (US$ 380) were given to 19 beneficiaries, including four Muslim families.
Ahmad Mushtaq is one of the beneficiaries. The 17-year-old Muslim man lost four inches of heel area on his left foot, as well as the hearing in his right ear. His mother, Naila Malik, told AsiaNews, that “Christians have shown great sympathy towards us, as if we were their relatives. They take care of everyone."
The Taliban attack on this Easter Sunday near a children’s playground in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park targeted Christians, but killed and wounded Muslims as well, mostly women and children at the park to play. The final death toll reached 78, including 24 Christians, plus 350 wounded.
Caritas handed out the cheques at a ceremony in Lahore’s Sacred Heart Cathedral Lahore. One by one, the recipients were called to the altar to receive the check from the hands of Archbishop Sebastian Shah.
For the Mushtaq family, it was their first time in a church. The blast sent the teenager to hospital for two weeks and five surgeries. "He was awake during the operations because the doctors had run out of anesthesia,” his mother said.
She is concerned about his studies. He was in Grade 11 and was supposed to take exams this year. “He has been unable to concentrate on his studies, and the doctors say that he will need psychological support. I rally want him to start walking again.”
In addition to financial aid, Caritas is helping victims to overcome the trauma through supportive therapies.
The ceremony ended with acknowledgments for some government officials, including Jinnah Hospital Administrator Dr Shahid Farooq.
The doctor thanked Caritas representatives "because their visits to the emergency ward boosted survivors’ spirits. I pray to Allah that others follow the example of the Christians."
.png)
