The Frontier News September 2013
Diocese of Peshawar—Church of Pakistan Individual Highlights
This special edition of the •Massacre at All Saints Church Frontier News is dedicated • The ill -equipped Hospital 2 The Christian Nurses to the ••The Muslim Community Martyrs of • The Bishop’s arrival at the Hospital the All Saint’s • Condemnations and Processions Church, • Memorial Services Peshawar • Burying the dead City. • Church attach as per Shariah
Massacre at All Saint’s Church Peshawar
• The State of denial
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and bleeding to death. About 46 people died on the spot, and hundreds of them were injured.
On 22 Sep, 2103 After the Sunday Pentecost Retreat prayers, the All Saint’s Church’s congregation gathered to enjoy the thanksgiving feast arranged by various people. Some had already left; but there were still hundreds of people in the compound. All of a sudden, two suicide bombers attacked, and blew themselves almost simultaneously, with a gap of 5-6 seconds only, killing and injuring many, there was chaos all around. The nearby people rushed to the scene and what they witnessed was unbelievable, the human body parts and the injured bodies were scattered all around. People were lying on the ground as if they were in a fierce battlefield. The injured were crying, shouting, Page 1
The moment the news broke on television, both the Christian and Muslim community of the neighbourhood rushed towards the crime scene, the All Saints Church, Kohati Gate, Peshawar. There were ambulances and media personnel all around, and the injured were immediately taken to the hospital for medical care, however, friends and relatives were looking for their near and dear ones, and many could not find them. Men, women, children and the young were lying all around the church compound, dead or injured.
People helping the injured and carrying the dead
A mother crying over the dead body of her child
The scenario was unbelievable; it was the biggest ever suicidal bomb attack in Peshawar. A massacre of its own kind, killing over 114, and the number of injured exceeds over 163. The dead bodies lying on the ground
September 2013 ● Volume VI, Issue IX ● The Frontier News
The ill -equipped Hospital
Emergency Unit of the Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar
Chaos at the Lady Reading Hospital Compound
The Christian Nurses
The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital’s emergency, mostly by the Recue 112, Al-khidmat Foundation and Edhi Welfare Trust volunteers of the Muslim community. However, there was chaos at the Hospital, as well. A handful of doctors and lack of equipment, staff and the space/beds, further hampered the first aid medical care. However, most of the patients/ the injured were in dire need of sophisticated medical care, which the hospital staff was ill equipped to cope with.
from their bodies. The Doctors and the paramedical staff were trying their best, but their best didn’t work out. Many died because of excessive bleeding and lack of oxygen. The remaining patients were being looked after by their close friends and relatives, who were standing by their bleeding bodies, holding blood bags in their hands, because of the lack of stands in the hospital. Injuries were proving to be fatal, and one after another bodies were shifted into coffins, and relatives were taking their bodies back home in AlKhidmat Foundation, Hospital Ambulances, of course, free of cost.
Most of the injured needed Coffins of the young, the old and blood and immediate surgical operations to remove the bombs of the kids were lying there and ball-barring and the bombs-pallets people were trying to identify their near and dear ones, quite a number of them were beyond recognition.
The moment the Christian nurses of the Hospital learned that the injured were Christians and too many. They rushed to the hospital, as they themselves had cancelled their day-off. Their presence reinforced the medical aid and uplifted the spirit of others. All the Christian nurses asked the administration to open-up the remaining operation theaters and started assisting the doctors in operations; the other nurses actively started providing the nursing care to the injured. Some of them were shifted to the orthopedic ward, and vice-versa. The remaining Christian nurses assisted the relatives in obtaining the death certificates and getting their entries in the official registers, as this was also a great help because getting registered and obtaining death certificates is not an easy process, it takes ages, but due to the Christian nurses assistance, it became easier. Their dedication was beyond the call of duty. Hats off to the Christian Nurses! Page-2
The Christian nurses performing beyond the call of duty
The Christian nurses helping the patients in casualty ward
September 2013 ● Volume VI, Issue IX● The Frontier News
The Muslim Community
Bishop Humphrey visiting the injured at the hospital
Muslims and Christian volunteers working together
The women participants at the memorial service
A Scenic view of the Retreat Centre _____________________________________
employees of the authority. This non-discriminatory attitude of NADRA also reflects in its day to day dealings with the Pakistani population,” he added. The men participants at the memorial service
The nearby Muslim community helped to carry the injured to the hospitals and provided a good number of ambulances. It was them who carried all the injured to the hospital, and delivered the coffins to their homes. The moment the blast occurred, there were body parts scattered all around, the bodies and the clothes of the living and the deceased were charred and burnt-out, as a result many women’s private parts of the body were exposed, but they were quickly covered with sheets. The Muslims and Christian community volunteers together made sure that no body touches the women, except their own family. At such times, there is always a danger that the criminal natured people may snatch away the jewelry from the dead or the injured. However, due to the timely intervention it was prevented and no such incident occurred. It was a great show of friendship, brotherhood and unity among the Muslims and Christians, never seen before.
The Bishop’s arrival at the Hospital The Rt. Revd. Humphrey S. Peters was in Bannu, leading the Sunday service there when he heard the tragic news. He quickly rushed back to Peshawar and straightaway went to the Lady Reading Hospital. By then, it was noon. He looked very sad with tears in his eyes, yet composed and dignified. The Bishop’s arrival news spread in the hospital and the Incharge and senior officials of the hospital came to receive him, and he was escorted by the police to the administration block. After a little while, the provincial Chief Minister, The Federal, Interior Minister and Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tahreek –e- Insaf also arrived at the Hospital. It’s the Imran Khan’s (former Cricketer) government in the province. All the governmental high-up’s expressed their grief and condemned the incident in harsh words, and said to the Bishop that at this time of great grief the government is with the Christian community and will make sure that all the medical care is provided, and the injured will be rehabilitated through government funds.
The Bishop’s arrival at the Hospital Thus, they announced the financial help package for the families of the injured and the deceased. At this occasion, the government, both federal and provincial announced three days mourning, and instructed that all the schools and colleges will remain closed for three days throughout Pakistan, as a show of solidarity with the Christian community of Pakistan. Later, all the officials, along with the Honorable Bishop visited the wards, met the victims, their relatives, and consoled them. However, the Bishop after their departure went on a door to door visit of the families of the bomb-blasts.
Condemnations and Processions
Memorial Services
People protesting, and enchanting slogans against terrorism
The Bishop and the clergy leading the memorial service
This tragic but unique incident was condemned by the whole country, without any discrimination of religion and creed.
Memorial services for the deceased were held throughout the country, and special prayers were offered at the churches.
The US President and various heads of states condemned this incident at the UN General Assembly. Even His grace the Pope Francis condemned the incident in hard words. Special prayers services were held in almost all the churches in Pakistan which were followed by protests and processions. The participants were holding banners and play cards and were enchanting slogans against the terrorists and the extremist forces in Pakistan.
On the third day of the incident, a graceful memorial service was held in the memory of the bomb blasts victims at the lawn of the St. Johns Cathedral Church, Peshawar, around 500 people attended the ceremony. The Honorable Bishop Humphrey Peters and his team of the clergymen led the prayer service. They condemned the incident, and prayed for the departed souls, thus consoled their families.
Similarly, a procession from the Peshawar University started marching towards the Peshawar Press Club and the Assembly Hall, Peshawar. This small procession of the youth and the old was joined by another procession of the Christian community from the cantonment area, which was further strengthened by two others groups of processions from the city, comprising women and children, as well. They gathered together in front of the ‘Provincial Assembly Hall’ and chanted slogans against the government and elements behind this heinous crime of all times.
After the service, a big feast was given for the people present at the occasion. This feast was arranged by the Muslim community traders of the Qissa Khwani Bazaar, who happen to be located in the church’s neighborhood in Peshawar city. The Muslim traders said that they highly condemn the attack on the Church, and they will always stand by their Christian fellows and countrymen at the times of crisis. A good show of Inter-faith harmony.
As a result, the government enhanced the security for Christian compounds, institutions and the churches, and eventually the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the province as sacked, and replaced.
At this occasion, the Rt. Revd. Humphrey Peters announced that the Church/Peshawar Diocese will never leave alone his congregation and the Christian community at large. He said that the church will look after the injured and will continue all its efforts and will The Bishop’s E-mail:
[email protected] The Diocesan Centre E.Mail
[email protected]
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September 2013 ● Volume VI, Issue IX● The Frontier News
Burying the Dead
Church attack was as per Shariah
Burying of the dead at the Christian graveyard, city
The same evening the Rescue 112, and the AlKhidmat Trust volunteers took all the dead bodies from their homes and put them in the lawn of the Kohati Gate, Catholic Church, the St. Johns Church School. They placed all the coffins side by side for their relatives to identify their dear ones, as the dead bodies in coffins kept coming from the hospital. There were thousands present at the occasion, crying and weeping. Nobody had ever seen this kind of mass funerals. However, joint/combined prayers were offered for the deceased and all people were trying the console the families of the victims of the suicidal attack, but all in vain. The grief was too much to handle,as some families were totally finished, all dead. Almost every household of the area had 1-3 dead in their family. In the evening, relatives of the victims took the coffins to their respective graveyards and started digging the graves and burying their dead. Of course, the Muslim community volunteers helped to dig the graves. However, it was almost dark by then, and people in the dim light of candles and lanterns were busy burying their dear ones, the sons, daughters, brothers, mothers and fathers all were being buried turn by turn. Dozens of people were laid to rest in peace in Christian graveyard of the Peshawar city. Similarly, a large number of dead bodies were buried at the Christian graveyard in cantonment (The Gora Qabristan). There were too many graves to be dug yet, and it was not possible to do it the traditional way, so the wall of the graveyard was broken to bring in the heavy machinery to do the job. Meanwhile, the coffins and mourners kept coming to the graveyard, one after another. Page -5
Courtesy The New International, October 5, 2013 Extract Islamabad: The banned militant outfit Tehrike-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP) spokeman Shahid Ullah Shahid Friday the Sept. 22 suicide attack at the All Saint’s Church Peshawar was every inch in accordance with the Shariah; however, neither the TTP nor any of its sub-groups was involved in it. Talking to BBC Urdu Service over phone from an undisclosed location in the tribal area, Shahid Ullah said all groups of the outfit had same ideology. Explaining their organizational structure, he said the outfit had scores of sub-groups operating countrywide akin to various departments of government. He parried a question about the number their groups though according to media the outfit comprises 35 sub-groups. “Our objective is clear to all (sub-groups) . We have given them a blank cheque to take action against our enemy and they can never attack anyone or anything that is not target. If we find their action beyond the set mandate, we try them in our court and punish them.” Taliban More Stronger Courtesy, Daily Mashriq Peshawar, (the local Urdu news paper) October 7, 2013
All the group of Taliban have become stronger and more organized than ever before. After carrying-out attacks on mosques and the sacred religious places all over the world, the attack on the church was as per Shariah Law----- The most recent statement by Tarek – e-Taliban Pakistan.
September 2013 ● Volume VI, Issue IX● The Frontier News
The state of denial
Bishop Humphrey, Imran Khan and the Chief Minister at press conference
Bishop Humphrey, Bishop Ernest Jacob, and Col (r ) Kanwal in a meeting with Khwaja Saad Rafique, Minister Railway at Bishop house
Imran Khan, Bishop Humphrey, and the Chief Minister in the Hospital
Khwaja Saad Rafique, Federal Minister, Engg:Shoukat Ullah the provincial Governor and Bishop Humphrey at Bishop House
Contact Us at:
[email protected] Visit Us at: www.peshawardiocese.org
After the massacre at the church, the political leadership of the country is once again engaged in debate of “whose war it is “, in fact. Many believe that this was on terror and the rise of extremists, the Taliban’s and their splinter groups is the direct result and reaction of the previous governments policies, such as, support of the American agenda against the Taliban’s and the Jihadis in the region. One of the biggest supporters of this idea is the Tehreek-e-Insaf, a political party led by Imran Khan. Its his party government in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province (KPK). Many believe that almost all the religious political parties hold a soft corner in their hearts for the Talibans. On the other hand, a good number of moderate people believe that this is their (Pakistan’s) war. As Pakistanis are killed every day, the Taliban kill the armed forces personnel, attack the police and do not hesitate to blow-up the government important and sensitive installations. They even do not spare the polio vaccination teams. As a result of their (the Talibans) activities, Pakistan has suffered heavy losses, and its economy has completely been shattered. All the businesses are suffering, and the industrialists are fleeing the country for better and safe business, elsewhere. Recently, an All Parties Conference (APC) was held and it was unanimously decided that ‘a dialogue’ should be held with Talibans for ceasefire, and eventually/hopefully to bring peace and stability in the region. However, whenever this process starts, the bomb attacks and massacre of the innocent citizens’ gains pace, it seems evident that there are some internal and external
elements who want to derail the peace talks. Now, the question is, if they hold a dialogue with the Talibans, what kind of demands the Taliban would put, and how they will be fulfilled or accepted by the government. As everybody knows, they want ‘ Shirah Law’ and the kind of Shirah law which is unacceptable to many , and which is against the constitution of Pakistan. One wonders how could it happen, and at what cost? Recently, the Talibans announced that the attack on the Church was as per the Islamic Sharia Laws, whereas, all the Pakistani religious scholars and Mufti’s of all the Muslim sects unanimously announced that the attack on the church was against the Shariah law, against the teachings of Islam and against the religion. As Islam strongly favors’ the protection of religious minorities and of their worship places. Nevertheless, the Talibans never stopped blowing up the Mosques, the Shrines and the Churches. Their ‘ Shariah and their laws are totally different’ than others, i.e. the masses. In such a scenario, one wonders how the government could hold dialogue with Talibans, and how their demands could be met by the government. However, the ‘Talks Process’ continues behind the curtain, and the masses are waiting for the positive results. Nevertheless, they are looking forward for other options as well. Meanwhile, the injured are still bleeding and relatives are still burying their dead, overwhelmed by the grief.
