RNI, New Delhi:Christians and friends of other faiths gathered outside Pakistan High Commission today to show solidarity with victims of Peshawar Church attack. The peaceful protest march to Pakistan High Commission, lead by John Dayal (senior journalist), AC Michael (Member, Delhi MinoritiesCommission), Sister Nirmalini A.C. (Principal, Carmel Convent School) and Father Dominic Emmanuel, was followed by a prayer meeting in front of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Gol Dak Khana.
In a petition handed over to the Pakistan High Commissioner, the protestors demanded immediate measures to ensure safety and protection of minorities in Pakistan. The petition said that minorities in Pakistan have been increasingly under attack during the recent years and Pakistani security agencies have been unable to put an end to these ghastly attacks. The High Commissioner assured
the protestors that their petition will be forwarded to the highest authorities in Pakistan and necessary action taken to ensure that such an attack is not repeated again. He also expressed his sorrow over the attack.
This is to be reiterated that late on Sunday morning, as people came out of a church in Kohati Gate,Peshawar, twin blasts led to death of nearly 100 people and left several more injured. Such suicidal blasts have continued unabated in Pakistan not only on members of minority community (including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians) but Pakistan has lately also seen blasts in mosques and killings of
members of those sects of Muslims who do not follow the hardline Talibani or Wahabi Islam.According to a report of US Commission on International Religious Freedom released on September 14, 2011 Pakistan has been deemed one of the 10 countries unable to protect
minorities. And a timeline of attacks on Christians in the country during the past decade published
in the March 15, 2013 issue of The News (http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2- 165422-Minorities-including-Christians-at-receiving-end-in-Pakistan) is a testimony to the fact that minorities are in the line of fire. It is unfortunate that despite such reports in advance the authorities did little to add security or trace out the organizations and people responsible
for such dastardly attacks. It is evident that other than increasingly high number of cases of religious discrimination,
Muslims belonging to different sects also have no respite from gunfire and suicide bombs.
According to the Datasheet of South Asia Terrorism Portal, 4,616 people have been killed while 9,008 have been wounded in 2,824 incidents of sectarian violence from 1989 till September 15, 2013.
Any figures are just a tip of the iceberg that is called suppression of minorities in Pakistan.Religious discrimination and sectarian attacks on members of minority sects including the Ahmadis and Shias have created such a divide in Pakistan that it cannot be said precisely
whether the Talibanis are against one particular group of people. It is nothing but chaos, says a blogger.
AC Michael who led the protest march to Pakistan High Commission earlier today told RNI that this was a symbolic protest against all kind of bloodshed and violence, be it in Peshawar,Nairobi or Muzaffarnagar. Several people from other faith, including Safdar Khan, Chairman,
Delhi Minorities Commission, were solidly with us in this show of solidarity with the victims
of Church attack.
Speaking on behalf of All India Christian Council, senior journalist, John Dayal condemned in the strongest terms the massacre of Christians in a Peshawar church by a suspected human bomb. Said Dayal: “The Pakistani government must bring the conspirators to book.
The government has allowed, if not encouraged, the flourishing terrorist and religious fundamentalist forces which have been terrorising Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in Pakistan.The country’s so called blasphemy laws further encourage violence against Christians. We
call upon the government of India to register its protest and concern with Pakistan.”
Real News International News Bureau
