KARACHI, Oct 29: Various organizations have condemned the killings in a Bahawalpur church, and has urged the authorities to arrest the killers and award them deterrent punishment.

They demanded tough measures to curb terrorism to preclude the chances of a repetition of such abominable acts and to instil the feeling of security among the minority communities.

Noted social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife, Bilquis Edhi, now busy in relief work among Afghan refugees at the Chaman border, condemned the killings in Bahawalpur, and said Islam is a religion of love and peace and its followers cannot condone such inhuman acts.

They condoled with the families of those killed in Bahawalpur, and expressed their confidence that both the government and the Muslims would take steps to restore the confidence of the minorities.

The Karachi Women Peace Committee (KWPC) criticized the authorities, and said while Western foreign missions were provided with additional security after the attack on Afghanistan began, why extra security was not provided at the places of worship of minority communities.

The KWPC chairperson, Nargis Rahman, said the government had failed to take preventive steps that could have prevented the occurrence of such a barbaric act in the centre of Bahawalpur city in broad daylight.

She said if necessary steps were not taken to prevent such gory incidents, a hostile neighbouring country would exploit such incidents and present a vicious picture of Pakistan before the international community.

William Sadiq and Shams Zahid of the Mother Mary Trust of Pakistan condemned the killings in Bahalwapur, and called for the immediate arrest of the culprits.

They said the terrorists aimed at driving a wedge between the minority Christians and the majority community.

The Development Human Rights Organization (DHRO) condemned the terrorist attack, and urged the leaders of political and religious parties to join hands with the government in ensuring the prevention of such incidents, which gave a bad name to the country.

The DHRO coordinator, Aslam Martin, said all peace-loving people should forge unity to fight against terrorism so that all communities can continue to live like brothers as they have been doing for centuries.

Herbert Fernandes, president of the Catholic Association, condemned the killings and said no Muslim could resort to such a brutal act as committed in Bahawalpur as Islam is a religion of peace and the killing of innocent people was against the very spirit of the faith.