ISLAMABAD: Angry members of the Christian community took to streets in different parts of the twin cities and blocked roads in protest against the attack on a church in Lahore on Sunday.

At least 15 people were killed and more than 70 injured when two suicide bombers targeted a church at the Youhanabad locality of Lahore.

Soon after the attack, the Islamabad Expressway was blocked by the Christian community at four points - Dhoke Kala Khan, Gangal Town, Khanna Bridge and Boota Darbar.

The police had to use teargas shell on the protesters when they started pelting the policemen with stones on the expressway. The police also registered a case against 150 protesters.

Moreover, the residents of the G-7 slums closed Faisal Avenue.

A protest demonstration was also held outside the National Press Club. The participants later blocked a road at F-6 Markaz. The residents of France Colony protested in front of the Kohsar police station while another rally was held at Sector I-9.

Pervaiz Masih, 20, told Dawn at the Islamabad Expressway that for the last many years Christians remained under attacks but the government was not ready to take action against religious extremists who targeted the community.

Angry protesters block roads, ask govt to provide protection to the community

“Churches have been attacked in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab many times. A Christian couple was burnt alive near Lahore but no one took action against the extremists,” he said.

Imran Shahid, another protester, said if the government cannot protect the Christian community it should either kill all the Christians or provide them weapons so that they can protect their lives. “I am sure that some statements will come from political leaders and after two or three days the issue will be forgotten,” he said.

At the NPC, Chairman Pakistan Minorities Forum Chaudhry Ashraf Farzand and a large number of people from the community protested against the terror attack. They demanded an operation against all the terror elements in Punjab.

Daniyal Iqbal, another Christian leader, asked the government to ensure that everyone in the country practiced their religion freely.

Samuel Yaqoob, the chairman of the Muslim-Christian Ittehad, told protesters outside the NPC that the Christian community had been demanding protection but the government never took it seriously.

During the protests, a large number of people got stuck in different parts of the twin cities. As the expressway was closed, the police stopped trucks on the I.J. Principal Road which caused a gridlock on the busy artery.

A police official said: “Roads remained blocked for almost two hours after which the protesters dispersed peacefully. There was a thin traffic because of Sunday and nowhere a severe traffic jam was observed.”

Protesters also blocked the Rawalpindi-Peshawar portion of the G.T. Road at Wah Cantonment for an hour.

The participants of the protest, including women and children, gathered on the road during the heavy rain and blocked traffic. The protesters chanted slogans against the government and demanding protection for the community. They also demanded that the government should take action against the perpetrators.

Security further beefed up

Three weeks ago, the inspector general of police (IGP) Punjab had issued a ‘security alert’ to all the divisional police chiefs to review the security of churches in the light of an intelligence report that terrorists were planning to target churches, especially on Sundays.

Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera, the IGP, had directed the police to review the security of churches and other worship places, including imambargahs and mosques.

Following the Sunday attack in Lahore, security around churches was further tightened across the province.

In a security alert for churches issued on February 23, the police had been directed by the IGP to deploy extra personnel on vantage points, adding entry gates of the churches should be locked.

The police had also been directed to start patrolling around the churches prior to services and dispersal of worshipers. Search and sweeping of the vicinity should be carried out before the services started on every Sunday.

When contacted, City Police Officer Israr Ahmed Abbasi told Dawn that security around all worship places, especially the 85 churches, was reviewed in the wake of the Lahore incident.

When asked if there had been any specific terror threat to the churches, the CPO said: “Though there was no specific terror threat, the police are taking all possible measures to ensure the security of churches and other worship places.”

Published in Dawn March 16th , 2015

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