RAWALPINDI: The shadow of the Dec 17 suicide attack on the Bethel Memorial Church in Quetta hung over Christmas celebrations in the garrison city on Monday, with many families who attended Christmas services in a hurry to return home.

Local churches were lit up and decorated for Christmas, and the city’s main churches – St Joseph’s Cathedral, Christ Church and St Paul’s Church – were heavily secured by Rangers and police officials. Main roads were also closed to traffic during Christmas services.

“After the Quetta incident, the government made special security arrangements. But law enforcement agencies stopped people from installing rides around churches, and children missed this feature,” said All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) representative Shamoon Gill told Dawn.

“We are also passing through fear after the Quetta incident, and there was not as much hustle and bustle in and around the churches,” he added.

Churches heavily secured just a week after Quetta church bombing

In June 2014, Mr Gill said, then-chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani had directed in a suo motu case regarding the Peshawar church bombing that a national council for minorities’ rights and a special force to protect minorities’ places of worship be formed.

“The government should implement the Supreme Court directives for the formation of a special force for the protection of minorities, which are a soft target of terrorists.”

Lal Kurti resident Imran George said he arrived at the cathedral with his family after passing through security checks, and although they were not against security checks, “such things created more terror among participants”.

“As soon as the service ended, I brought my family back home. In the past, we spent hours in church, meeting friends and relatives,” he added.

Some worshippers, however, said they felt secure in the presence of army and police deputed at the churches.

Asher Francis, who lives on Adiala Road, said the government’s security arrangements had improved as compared to last year. He added that the community was sombre, which was why Christmas celebrations this year had been low-profile.

“I am personally against the installation of swings in and around churches, as children can enjoy swings at local parks where most families usually go to celebrate the day,” he said.

All the city’s churches had organised midnight services on Sunday, followed by morning services in various parts of Rawalpindi.

The largest gathering was at St Joseph’s, but large congregations were also held at other churches in the city. Predominantly Christian localities were dotted with Christmas trees.

In their sermons, clerics spoke about the need for religious tolerance, fraternity and brotherhood, and the importance of playing a positive role for the country’s development.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2017