PESHAWAR: The members of Christian community took out a procession from All Saints Church here and blocked the GT Road to condemn blasts outside a church in Lahore.

The protesters chanted slogans against the federal and Punjab governments for what they said their failure to secure lives and properties of people.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with demands for protection of the minority community people, the protesters urged the government to take decisive action against the terrorists as they couldn’t be called human beings.

Talking to media persons, the protesters referred to several tragic incidents targeting Christian community members, and said they also belonged to the country and deserved to get basic rights, especially security of life and property.

The protesters demanded compensation to the victims’ families and an end to attacks on worship places.

Meanwhile, condemning the killing of innocent people in the terrorist attacks on a church in Lahore on Sunday, political leaders described the bloodshed as inhuman and urged the federal and Punjab governments to take effective steps for protection of citizens.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Awami National Party central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, and QWP chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan, in their separate statements here, said that such attacks reflected nervousness of terrorists as the nation was united to uproot the scourge.

The governor said that targeting innocent children, women and worshipers was worst kind of terrorism and the people involved in the heinous crime didn’t deserve to be forgiven.

He said such cowardly acts couldn’t weaken the nation’s resolve in the war against terrorism.

Mehtab Khan expressed solidarity with the Christian community and showed his deep sympathies with the bereaved families. He said the elements involved in the heinous crime would be brought to justice.

Aftab Sherpao said terrorists had been targeting innocent people in public places, including worship places, to terrorise the society.

He expressed sympathies with the affected families and asked the government to take stern action against the perpetrators of the church attacks.

Mian Iftikhar said that the suicide blasts were an attempt to fail the National Action Plan to take decisive action against the terrorists.

He said it was duty of the government to launch effective operation against terrorists in Punjab.

The ANP leader said that the targeted attack on Christians was also an attempt to defame Pakistan at the international level, adding that such attempts could not succeed as the nation and security forces were on the same page against terrorists.

Published in Dawn March 16th , 2015

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