Who are Pakistan's Christians?

The deadly bombing of a church in Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar is unprecedented, but not entirely unexpected considering the community's history in the country, explains the BBC's M Ilyas Khan. Until now, Taliban militants have mostly targeted the places of worship for Muslim minority sects in Pakistan such as Shia Muslims and the Ahmadi sect. But attacks against the Christians are not uncommon. Some of these have been related to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, while others appear to have a political motive. In recent years the assassination of two high-profile Christian politicians also put the plight of this minority in the spotlight.Vulnerable sector After Hindus, Christians are Pakistan's second-largest minority group representing about 1.6% of the country's overwhelmingly Muslim population. Large populations are in the southern metropolis of Karachi, and there are countless Christian villages in Pakistan's heartland of Punjab, in Lahore, the city of Faisalabad. In the deeply conservative north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province there are, according to one lawmaker, 200,000 Christians, of whom 70,000 live in the city of Peshawar. The majority of Pakistan's Christians converted from Hinduism centuries ago under the British Raj. Most of those converts had been low-caste Hindus, kept at the lowest rung of society by virtue of their birth and would have converted to escape the fate destined for them within the caste system.Under the Raj many of these converts provided labour in garrison towns - and every cantonment city has an area known as Lal Kurti, traditionally the area where Christians reside. But to this day the Christian community remains in the poorest sector of Pakistani society, consigned to menial jobs. Entire villages in parts of Punjab are Christian, with inhabitants working as labourers and farmhands. There are sections of Pakistan's Christian community that are well off and they came over from Christian Goa under the Raj, are more educated and mainly settled in Karachi. Many of their descendants still work in the corporate sector. What all of them share is a sense of vulnerability with a number of the wealthier Christians leaving to settle in Canada and Australia as the climate of intolerance in Pakistan becomes more unbearable - and if some Muslims are thinking of leaving, Christians and other minorities will feel the pressure more acutely. Pre-partition Pakistan was a much more diverse place and levels of tolerance have declined as Pakistani society has been increasingly Islamicised and more homogenous. Pre-partition Christians could count themselves among minorities that made up 15% of the population. Now minorities fall short of 4% of the country. And with the introduction of Islamist militancy, their situation is that much more urgent.

Blasphemy

Since the 1990s, scores of Christians have been convicted for desecrating the Koran or blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad, although experts say most accusations are fuelled by personal disputes. While most of them were awarded death sentences by lower courts, the sentence was often set aside by the higher courts due to lack of evidence, or because the complainants in the case were found to be targeting the community for economic benefits. Perhaps the best known example is that of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman from a Punjab village who in 2010 got into an altercation with some Muslim women of the village and was later accused by them of having blasphemed against the prophet. Then Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who publicly stated that the law had been abused in Aasia Bibi's case, was murdered by his police guard. Months later, the country's minister for minority affairs and a leader of the Christian community, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated for speaking out against the law. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for that murder. Two years later, a minor Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, became the first non-Muslim to be acquitted by a court in a blasphemy case when it was discovered that she had been framed by a local Muslim cleric. Accusations of blasphemy have often led to mob violence against Christians. In 2005, hundreds of Christians had to flee their houses in Faisalabad city after one of the residents was blamed for having burnt the pages of the Koran and the entire neighbourhood was attacked by a mob wielding axes and sticks. Several churches and Christian schools in the city were set on fire. In 2009, in Gojra town of Punjab, nearly 40 houses and a church were burnt by the mob, and at least eight members of the community were killed, all burnt alive. Mostly Muslims and Christians co-exist amiably enough without frequent outbreaks of animosity, going to each other's festivals, sharing community spaces.

Motives behind attacks

But some of the violence against Christians is organised and directly related to American-led war in Afghanistan, so has an expressly political motive. Months after the US-led coalition attacked Afghanistan in late 2001, a grenade attack on a chapel inside a Christian mission hospital Taxila city killed four people. A couple of months later, gunmen executed six workers of a Christian charity after tying and gagging them at their third-floor office in Karachi. These incidents, though isolated, have continued down the years. It is too early to say which category Sunday's church attack in Peshawar belongs to, but its timing may be of some significance. It has happened at a time when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is about to land in New York on his first visit to the US and the United Nations. Analysts say the Peshawar bombing will overshadow his visit and raise questions among the international community over his country's commitment to fight militancy. This appears to be a repeat of an earlier attack by the militants in which at least nine foreign climbers, including three Chinese, were killed at the Nanga Parbat mountain in June. But it is the first large-scale attack against Christians which appears to mimic recent deadly assaults on minority Shias in Pakistan. But the dynamic with that particular enmity is entirely different. Shias in Pakistan are seen as influential and high profile with positions in the military and playing prominent role in the country's cultural life - they are caught up in what many analysts call a proxy war between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's Christian and Hindu minorities evoke public sympathy and are not tools of a larger sectarian and ideological battle. They look like part of a militant plan to send a message to the West or embarrass Nawaz Sharif when he heads in that direction.

Pakistan Christians demand better protection after Peshawar bomb attacks

http://www.euronews.com/

The deadliest attack on Christians in Pakistan has brought protests in several cities. More than 80 people are known to have died after two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside an Anglican church in Peshawar on Sunday. Three days of mourning have been declared. Demonstrators vented their anger at the government, accusing it of failing to protect minorities. A militant group linked to the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it would continue its attacks on non-Muslims. People blocked streets in Islamabad and elsewhere, with more protests expected. Burials have been taking place in Peshawar, the northwestern city surrounded by tribal areas often controlled by militants. Pakistan’s Christians number about two percent of the population and are among the country’s poorest.

Afghanistan: Female teacher shot to death in Farah....ignorant islamist will never change

http://www.pajhwok.com/

Gunmen dragged a female teacher out of a car and shot her dead in the Pushtkoh district in the Bala Baluk district of western Farah province, officials said on Monday. Farida, who taught at the Chah Zandan High School, was on her way to Farah City, the provincial capital, on Monday morning when gunmen intercepted the vehicle she was travelling in near Regi village. Abdul Rahman Zhwandai, the governor’s spokesman, accused the Taliban of killing the schoolteacher, but rebels have so far said nothing in this regard. Mohammadullah, who was in another car behind Farida, said five motorcyclists stopped her vehicle. He claimed the men were Taliban, who dragged the teacher out of the car and shot her to death on the spot. Her spouse Syed Nizamuddin works at the provincial Independent Election Commission (IEC) office, said the office head, Mirwais Azizi. She is the second teacher to be gunned down in a month. A male teacher was killed last month in an ambush in the Sangin district of southern Helmand province. Meanwhile, a security official said six insurgents had been killed during an overnight military operation in Grana and Seh Joy villages of Bala Baluk. An Afghan National Army spokesman, Mohammad Hanif Rezaee, said another seven suspected militants had been detained during the overnight offensive. The dead included Abdul Rahman Neka, a Taliban commander.

PTI tastes a rare spurt of anger amid cries of pain

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its allies tasted public anger for the first time when aggrieved families of those killed in the Sunday’s twin suicide attacks on All Saints Church in Peshawar city sparked anger over the government’s apathy. “Shame, shame, we don’t want your posters and slogans. Come and help us,” the Lady Reading Hospital crowded with families of the killed and injured in the attacks resonated with protest chants as one PTI MPA turned up to give a statement on media present on the spot instead of consoling the families of the victims. The yard outside the trauma centre resonated with cries of pain and anger as the aggrieved families did not let the MPA score points on media and speak. Mourners were chanting slogans against the provincial government and LRH management for not providing quick response to the traumatised wounded people. “The government instead of giving severe punishment to the culprits has been releasing militants and criminals from prisons,” remarked Father John William, who stated that not a single murderer was brought to justice. Umar Maseeh, another protester at LRH, accused PTI chairman Imran Khan of supporting the cause of militants. “Imran carried out his election campaign across the country, but he was never attacked, while we are unsafe even inside church, why?” he asked. “It only shows Imran is a sympathiser of militants,” he alleged. The bloody attack was a reality check for the coalition partners of PTI, including Qaumi Watan Party and Jamaat-i-Islami. The ministers and MPAs fearing backlash could not dare to visit the LRH for almost three hours after the incident to console the angry mourners and ensure timely treatment of the wounded. There were no arrangements at the official level to provide coffins. Thanks to Al Khidmat Foundation which arranged about 100 coffins for packing bodies. Of total 59 cabinet members, advisors, special assistants and parliamentary secretaries, only senior minister Sikandar Khan Sherpao and PTI provincial information secretary Ishtiaq Urmar, who is also parliamentary secretary, reached the LRH, but the angry protesters did not let them speak. Agitated Christians forced Sikandar Sherpao and Mr Urmar to leave the hospital’s premises immediately. The absence of Information Minister Shah Farman often seen in an offensive demeanour on the floor of the assembly and press briefings, was conspicuous. Health Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai whose reckless statements frequently put the ruling coalition in hot waters was missing till the PTI chairman and chief minister turned up at the hospital where he just gave figures of the dead and injured in the attack. Perhaps, it was the appearance of the former information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on media which might have spurred the PTI into action as Imran Khan came from Islamabad to the Peshawar hospital for damage control. Imran, while talking to media, blamed his political rivals for inciting the aggrieved Christians against the provincial government. He condemned them for politicising the incident. However, he seemed willy-nilly in condemning the terrorists who had attacked the innocent worshippers at one of the oldest churches of the city. “The previous government has left the mess for us and now people are being provoked against us,” he told media without mentioning the Awami National Party. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, on the directives of the President and prime minister, came too late (at around 8:00pm) with the message of the Punjab chief minister’s offer of medical help. The agent of the federal government Engineer Shaukatullah, who did not come out from his palatial Governor’s House to console the religious minority brutally attacked by terrorists, was visible only when the interior minister was talking to media.

Rehman Malik: Terrorists are not serious in talks

Former Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that bomb blasts in Peshawar Church proved that terrorists are not serious in talks, SAMAA reports on Monday. Malik reached at the Lady Reading Hospital to express solidarity with the blast victims. He said ‘Mulla Baradar was set free and on the next day the Church blasts took place’. It is to be mentioned that two blasts took place in a church situated at Kohati Bazaar area of Peshawar which left at least 81 people dead while more than 100 people were injured.

Nationwide protests against Peshawar church bombing

Protests against the deadly Peshawar church bombing in which 81 people lost their lives are being held across the country. Protests are being held by members of the Christian community and civil society in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Noweshera and other cities. In the federal capital, protestors blocked the expressway. A large protest is expected to be held outside the press club in the city later on Monday. In Karachi protests are being held in several areas of the city, including Numaish Chowrangi and Isa Nagri. All missionary schools and colleges are closed in the city as three days of mourning had been announced. Protests were held in several areas of Peshawar including outside the provincial assembly. The Christian community protested in different areas of Hyderabad. Protestors burnt tyres and pelted stones blocking traffic. They demanded that those behind the terrorist attack be held responsible. In Tando Muhammad Khan and Jamshoro, protests were held outside the press club. Protests were also held in Faisalabad outside the city’s press club. Protestors held a sit-in and blocked traffic. The Christian community also protested in Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Mandi Bahuddin and Hafizabad. 81 people were killed and over 140 injured in twin suicide attacks at the All Saints Church in Peshawar.

Despite global downturn: Bangladesh's GDP has grown at an average of 6.3% per annum

By Subir Bhaumik

US secretary of state Henry Kissinger had dismissed Bangladesh as a "perpetual economic basket case" almost immediately after it was born. Spite, more than anything else, may have influenced the remark as the birth of Bangladesh was "raw chilly to wounds" sustained by the US in Vietnam. Washington could only blame itself for supporting Yayha Khan's blood-thirsty military junta in one of the worst genocides in recent history — but unlike China that quickly got over the same hangover for Pakistan and developed relations with Bangladesh, regardless of the party in power, the US could never come to terms with the Awami League that had spearheaded the fight for the country's independence from Pakistan. But Bangladesh has proved Kissinger wrong with a vengeance. In the last five years, its GDP has grown at an average of 6.3% per year, in the midst of one of the worst global downturns in recent times. It has achieved its 2015 UN Millennium Development Goals two years in advance. In 2013, it had brought the number of poor to less than 30% of its population — a target set for 2015 by the UN. In most indices of human development, especially gender-related, Bangladesh has surged miles (in some cases, yards) ahead of India and other south Asian nations. When India is unable to manage its spiralling current account deficit, Bangladesh sits on a comfortable current account surplus of $2.57 billion for the first time in its independent history. Its revenue collection has risen threefold over the last five years and its tax-GDP ratio has increased to 13.5% from 10.8% during the period. The Awami League, which has been in power since January 2009, has good reasons to take credit for its management of the economy.

WAR CHEST SWELLS WITH PRIDE

The foreign currency reserves at the Bangladesh Bank have crossed the $16-billion mark, enough to meet import costs of five months. Export earnings have soared to over $27 billion from $10 billion in the last five years. Bangladesh also witnessed a buoyant remittance flow with the amount nearly touching $15 billion. With its expatriates largely from the working class, the tendency is to send a lot of money back home to buy assets for the future as they plan to return home rather than settle overseas. So, regardless of the political turmoil back home, most Bangladeshis abroad believe in a future for south Asia's youngest nation. For the first time, foreign direct investment has topped the $1-billion mark. It was $1.3 billion in the 2012-13 fiscal year. Foreign aid flow has also increased substantially. However, the agriculture sector has witnessed a decline and investment in the private sector has fallen too, as the State of Economy report published by the Planning Commission in September 2013 indicates. In fiscal year 2005-06, the agriculture sector grew 4.9%. But that came down to 2.2% in the last fiscal year primarily because fresh acreage could not be added to agriculture due to lack of irrigation and other infrastructure. But due to successive bumper harvests, production has gone up and the food import bill has dropped by as much as 16%. Food prices have risen by only 2.8% this fiscal year. This has helped to boost forex reserves. The growth of the services sector has dropped to 5.7% from 6.4%, the report said. But that is attributed to lack of investment, primarily because of the disturbed political situation in the country.

DAVID BEATS GOLIATH, AGAIN

Ayear ago, the Bangladeshi taka was selling at 84 to a US dollar. It is now between 77 and 78. In the same period, the Indian rupee has fallen over 15%: from 47-48 to a dollar to 61-62. In fact, currency traders predict that another nosedive by the rupee and it would be nearly at par with the taka. That may not be good for Bangladesh that seeks to boost exports, but it does indicate the strength of the economy. When Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lost patience with the World Bank, withdrew the funding request to the global lender and decided to fund the $2.9-billion rail-road bridge on the mighty Padma river, she made a huge statement of national confidence. It is not easy for Bangladesh, once so dependent on foreign aid, to tell the World Bank to pack up.

BRIDGE ON THE RIVER PADMA

Then Hasina refused offers from China and Malaysia to fund the 6.15-km bridge — the Malaysian terms were not attractive and Chinese entry would have upset India. But Hasina reasoned that sovereign bonds offering interest a little higher than bank deposits would easily fetch expatriate funds because the remittances were flowing. Finance minister AM A Muhith has already placed taka 68 billion ($0.88 billion at current exchange rates), or about a third of the total cost of the Padma project, in the current 2013-14 national budget. That is some statement of financial confidence. Bangladesh, despite her political turmoil and uncertainties over the next parliamentary polls, seems well on its way to become a middle-income nation before the end of the decade.

The irrelevance of Mullah Biradar

The senior Taliban leader released by Pakistan last week can no longer deliver what the U.S. and the Karzai regime expect from him Pakistan released Mullah Abdul Ghani Biradar on September 21 after a three-year detention. He was the senior most member of the Taliban at the time of his arrest by a joint Pakistan military/U.S. intelligence team in Karachi in 2010. There were conflicting theories about the reasons for his capture. It is believed that the U.S. authorities had located him and the Pakistani officials had no choice but to “extend cooperation” in making the arrest. Some believe that Mullah Biradar was in covert contact with the Americans for laying down the basis for reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and that this had irked the Pakistan security establishment which could not digest any unilateral moves by Taliban leaders that bypassed it. That was enough excuse for restricting his freedom. Yet another theory is that he was detained at the behest of the top Taliban leadership because of his alleged clandestine links with some American mediators. Prolonging his detention did not deliver any political advantage for Pakistan. On the one hand, Islamabad got rid of a continuing and unwarranted headache by setting Biradar free; on the other it reciprocated Kabul’s overtures by accepting their demand for his release. Handing him over to the authorities in Kabul would have created a permanent breach in relations with the Taliban leadership. So he has been released and allowed to go wherever he wants, and he may head to Qatar or Saudi Arabia where other senior cadre of the Taliban now live.

As mediator

The point, however, is that by detaining Biradar, Pakistan has irrevocably damaged his credentials and his possible role as peace mediator. The Taliban have consistently followed the policy of not acknowledging any of its cadre detained either in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Freed, they lose their relevance as far as the Taliban are concerned. Their bona fide becomes suspect for a number of reasons. In the eyes of the Taliban, detained and released cadre could have been tutored or even indoctrinated, and would speak the language of the captor. The foremost example of this is Mullah Zaeef, who was arrested by Pakistan in 2001 while he was still the Taliban’s ambassador in Islamabad. The same thinking or yardstick would apply to Mullah Biradar. As Biradar is such a senior leader (or was), and is related to the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, he may prove to be of some help in providing insights into the Taliban mindset on issues such as the possible convergence of perceptions on how to mainstream the Taliban in the political and electoral processes of Afghanistan. He may even be useful in building bridges between the Taliban and the Americans, but certainly not between the Taliban and the Afghan regime. The bedrock of the Taliban approach to any negotiated settlement remains the complete withdrawal of all coalition forces. This would continue to be the main stumbling block to any resolution of the conflict that is predicated upon the acceptance of the U.S. scheme of things in Afghanistan, including talks with the Karzai government.

Reaching out

Why was the Afghan government so desperately seeking the release of Mullah Biradar? For several years now Kabul has been investing a lot of labour and resources in opening up channels of communication with the Taliban leaders. The idea was to establish direct contacts with the movement’s leaders so that “other” mediators or “spoilers” could be bypassed and the Taliban pressured or persuaded to join the government in return for some representation in the various branches of the administration. This was never going to work. It was then decided to make efforts to secure the release of Mullah Biradar who could possibly use his clout and influence in helping to facilitate contacts between the regime and the Taliban leadership.

Towards settlement

The Afghan authorities, rather than seeking the release of a prisoner, howsoever eminent and important, should realise that the long term and sustainable resolution to the conflict lies in creating a consensus, with all groups on board, that will ensure the withdrawal of all coalition forces from the country — a sine qua non for the country’s sovereignty and stability. A consensus that will be based on the following foundations: no foreign militants in Afghanistan; Afghan soil not to be allowed to be used against any other country; progress towards pluralism and institution-building; guaranteeing human rights and interacting with the international community. Afghan institutions like its Parliament, Constitution, President are sacrosanct but more sacrosanct is the integrity, unity and sovereignty of the country. Treating symptoms, sometimes successfully, can drive one into a state of complacency such that the focus shifts from resolving the underlying problem. The U.S. and its appendage in Kabul have been endeavouring to somehow diminish the strength or support for the insurgency by bribes, detentions, killings, weaning away the reconcilables, night raids, tortures — but the rebellion or insurgency has not abated or diminished in its intensity, vigour or the number of people offering their lives for a cause which they believe is just. Just as rank and file Afghans rose to defend their liberty in the wake of the former Soviet Union’s military intervention in the 1980s, rank and file Afghans are resisting the U.S.-led military intervention that has lasted for nearly 12 years. That however is no proof that the people of Afghanistan support the Taliban’s policies overwhelmingly. It only demonstrates the will of the people in supporting a movement that is in the vanguard of a struggle to free the country of foreign occupation. As for Pakistan, its short-sighted policy of detaining a person of such seniority and destroying his credibility and capability to facilitate useful, meaningful contacts with the Taliban for either Pakistan or America would be termed a grave error of judgment — whatever be the cause or motive for his detention.

Manmohan Singh condemns Peshawar suicide attacks

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday condemned in the strongest terms the suicide attacks in Peshawar in Pakistan in which 60 people were killed, terming it as "yet another deeply disturbing manifestation of the evil forces of terror". In a statement, Manmohan Singh, while condoling the deaths, said "such barbaric acts are against the tenets of every religion". The statement read: "The horrific suicide attacks at a church in Peshawar today is yet another deeply disturbing manifestation of the evil forces of terror. That the attack took place at a place of worship and claimed the lives of dozens of innocent worshipers makes this senseless act of violence even more tragic. Such barbaric acts are against the tenets of every religion. India condemns the terrorist attack in Peshawar in the strongest terms. We convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the injured." At least 80 people died and more than 120 were injured after two suicide bombers Sunday morning blew themselves up near a church in Pakistan's Peshawar city when worshippers gathered for prayers, officials said.

Peshawar's Bloody Sunday: Hundred years of coexistence tears at Peshawar’s heart

The Express Tribune

As bodies became unseemly piles in the morgue and victims offered up mangled injuries for attention, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) was mercilessly transported back to the horrors of October 28, 2009 when a bomb exploded at Meena Bazaar. “It is difficult to tell how many people have been killed or injured, they are just pouring in,” said LRH Chief Executive Officer Arshad Javaid initially. “This is the biggest trauma we have had to deal with since the 2009 attack, which killed 139 people.” And no one was prepared. The LRH chief confessed the hospital was running short of medicines, supplies, coffins and something he did not need to say out loud – space. Pervez Masih, an eyewitness waiting to get head and chest injuries looked at, described how an ordinary weekend mass at the 130-year-old church turned into a bloody Sunday. Around 400 people, including the elderly, women and children, were at the church, he estimated. “What sounded like a minor blast occurred outside the church, but people rushed out to the main gate.” That is when the second suicide bomber, clad in a police uniform, ran at the crowd and blew himself up, said Pervez. “We don’t understand what happened next,” he said, and he does not remember how he reached the hospital. Principal of Geovernment High School No-4 Nothia William Ghulam and his son Neil William, a student of Khyber Medical College Peshawar, were not as fortunate as Pervez. They died in the blasts, but William Ghulam’s wife, daughter, brother Anwar and sister-in-law survived, however, not unscathed. Anwar and his wife were being treated for head, chest and hand injures at the LRH. The aftermath of the twin suicide attack has resulted in at least 78 dead and more than 146 injured. By evening, Khyber Teaching Hospital had 25 patients – six women and three minors – and had sent 15 of their nurses to the LRH. A jolt to the system As the first closest point of response, the LRH took in the lion’s share of the casualties but Sunday meant lean staff; even the blood bank was shut. Doctors had to be called in; the hospital had to be woken up with a shock to its system. The first response to any calamity or attack determines many eventualities. Most importantly, it controls the increase in fatalities and severity of injuries. This was near impossible in the attack at the church as ‘ambulances’ took the shape and form of anything with wheels and a working engine. No Rescue 1122, a few Edhi and mostly Al Khidmat ambulances were visible hurrying to the LRH. The latter eventually took bodies waiting to be buried to their homes. Inside the hospital, while LRH doctors, nurses and staff were being called in, not much could be done about the shortage of space – the dead and the injured remained lying on the floor for nearly three to four hours. Below ground, the LRH morgue has the official capacity to store 60 bodies. Without sufficient hands on deck, the deceased lay askew on blocks of ice. The hospital had only 52 coffins at a point when it had at least 70 bodies. The last straw, the first brick Above ground, the chaos only brewed chaos. As relatives collected inside the halls, there were not enough medical professionals to cater to everyone’s injuries and beds were in short supply. A majority of the injured seemed to be women and children. Distraught, with no place to even sit, loved ones raised a voice, chanting slogans against the absence of facilities and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. “Yeh zalim loug hain, yeh humain is mulk mein nahin jeenay dein geh,” cried an inconsolable family member of a deceased victim. Younas Masih, an older adult, led the impromptu protest which resulted in some broken window panes and a rowdy crowd. “We are citizens of this country and we have equal rights like other citizens. Why is the PTI government not providing us with security and with facilities in the hospital?” “We only ask for our rights,” said Younas. “This is a huge loss for us.” Security lapse? As the hospital was overrun with patients and caregivers, safety measures were invisible. Standard procedures after a blast dictate heightened security to ensure a second disaster does not follow, bur there were no policemen or private guards visible at the gates or inside. After the hospital gained some control, LRH chief Javaid assured the victims and their worried caregivers the hospital was fully staffed and will attempt to treat every patient. Referencing the blood bank which was shut earlier, Javaid promised the hospital was equipped with blood but encouraged people to go and donate.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2013.

Ban Ki-moon condemns Peshawar church attack

The Express Tribune

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned Sunday’s “atrocious” terrorist attack on a church in Peshawar and called on the government to bring the perpetrators to justice.

A statement issued by UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky said that the secretary general was “appalled” by the attack, which had reportedly killed more than 75 people and wounded over 100 others as they were attending Sunday mass. “The secretary general condemns this atrocious bombing attack in the strongest possible terms,” the statement said. The secretary general said these acts of terror cannot be justified by any cause, and urged the government “to do everything possible to find and bring the perpetrators to justice”. “The secretary general extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the people and Government of Pakistan.” He reiterated the solidarity of the United Nations with the government’s ongoing struggle against terrorism and extremism and urges the government to continue taking steps to build tolerance and strengthen relationships between diverse religious and ethnic communities in the country,” the statement added.

Pakistan: Deadly ideology: Killing of churchgoers

THERE are moments when the full force of the threat that stalks this land hits with a sickening intensity. Yesterday was one of those moments — a depressing, shocking, violent attack that made it apparent, as though a reminder was needed, of just how far this country has drifted from the ideals and principles upon which it was created. Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Pakistan is not dead, for Christians still congregated in Peshawar yesterday to celebrate the Sunday mass. But the suicide bombers who attacked the All Saint’s Church and killed innocent, ordinary citizens were trying to kill Jinnah’s Pakistan. If this country is to survive and emerge one day as an embodiment of its founding father’s ideals, there can be no room for extremists, terrorists and militants. There is truly an either/or scenario for this country: either the terrorists are defeated or the Pakistan that the majority of the country wants will be lost forever. The targeting of Christians may seem to some as a new front being opened by the militants, but in fact it is logical progression of the extremist ideology. Be it other sects within Islam or other religions, the violent extremist wants to eliminate all others and produce a homogenous society in which only a particular version of Islamic interpretation rules over the people. The hatred and bigotry embedded in the extremist ideology is not just about foreigners, but also about the majority of Pakistanis themselves. Be it Shias, Ismailis, Barelvis, non-Muslims or anyone else deemed to be outside the pale of radical Islam as practised by the militants and terrorists, everyone is a target. Until that reality is absorbed by the country’s political leadership — that what confronts the country is a murderous ideology — there can be no real understanding of why Pakistan has been so wracked by violence. And without that understanding, there cannot begin to be a solution. For a week that began with the killing of an army general and ended with the murder of scores of Christians, the inevitable question is where does that leave the nascent dialogue process with the TTP? If dialogue was at the outset very unlikely to succeed, what chances of success are there now? Perhaps the most discouraging aspect about the dialogue process is the national political leadership’s abject surrender before the Taliban. Even yesterday voices were heard suggesting that the church bombing was an attempt to undermine the dialogue process. When deferring to the enemy trumps honouring your dead, what hope for peace, dialogue or anything of the like?

Pakistan: No talks with Taliban

As these lines are written; seventy-eight Christians, including children and women, are dead and over a hundred and forty reported wounded in the two blasts taking place in a hundred and thirty-year old All Saints Church, the second oldest in the city, in Kohati Gate area of Peshawar. While the fact is that the terrorists do not distinguish between the cast, colour and creed of the innocent Pakistanis they kill, it still is a source of solace that all sections of the population across the country have expressed their outrage and solidarity with their Christian countrymen. The Christian community, undoubtedly, knows that mosques belonging to various Muslims sects filled with worshippers have been blown up through the length and breadth of the country. Some questions need to be asked of the concerned government in the aftermath of the blasts: Why no special security arrangements were made on the occasion when Sunday congregations at churches are a regular feature of the followers of the Christian faith. Why did it take two to three hours to shift the critically wounded victims to the hospital when the delay might well have, and may have, resulted in the deaths of some of the injured? It took hours for the medical staff to come to the aid of the injured even after the blast victims had been shifted to the hospital. Where were the senior doctors? The tragedy has also left many questions regarding the political fallout on the proposed peace talks: It is no secret that Nawaz Sharif government became serious to take substantial steps towards holding talks with the Taliban only when the TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud undertook to unite about the sixty odd militant groups for peace dialogue. Hakimullah also vowed to fight the terrorists groups who tried to sabotage the peace process. The blasts in the Peshawar church can clearly be defined as an act to sabotage the efforts towards peace talks with Taliban. The people, the political leaders and agencies of Pakistan may be guessing as to who is responsible for this act of terrorism but the terrorist group responsible for the attack on the church cannot be hidden from Hakimullah Mehsud and leaders of other terrorist groups who supposedly want peace talks. Is it even possible to think that the TTP leader will take action against his terrorist brethren of other groups? Will Hakimullah Mehsud ask his men to raise arms against the terrorists who openly oppose efforts for peace talks? Hardly, anybody in Pakistan believes so. The Frontier Post has all along held the view that the militants lack the ability to be peaceful; violence is their only way to settle issues. Secondly, attacking and killing innocent Pakistanis because the US drones are attacking the militants is just a pretext for committing violence against us; their actual aim is to destroy Pakistan. But even hoping against hope if the talks with Taliban are to be successful, Hakimullah has to prove that he has the ability to control all the terrorists groups under his control. Without show of this control and without the commitments that terrorism will not happen in Pakistan during talks or the actual talks are going on, the process cannot be continued. Hakimullah has failed in showing control or committment. The incidents of terrorism after the All Parties Conference, has convinced the ordinary people that a peaceful solution to terrorism is not an option anymore. The fact that Taliban are faceless enemies may have been true in the past but not anymore. The names of even the second tier of TTP leaders and of many Taliban groups are now well known to many. Our forces can target them and make the Taliban on the run. The sooner we understand that Taliban will continue with their terrorist activities against us; talks or no talks. Our civilian population, our troops and our installations will forever be targeted by terrorists and the sooner we decide that the only way to end terrorism is to end the terrorists the better. Except in Swat, where we met tremendous success; there never has been a dead serious effort to totally root out terrorists from anywhere else in the country. We have always been deceiving ourselves by creating the myth of \\\'good Taliban\\\'. When we decided that there were no good Taliban in Swat, we were able to clear Swat of them. We have to decide there are no good Taliban anywhere in Pakistan and go after them. If our troops can drive them from the high mountains, steep valleys and dense forests of Swat, we can defeat them anywhere. As for the activities of terrorists in our urban areas, the example of Karachi is a very recent example. After a serious action against criminals in Karachi, hundreds of Taliban have left the mega city and gone back to their safe havens in Waziristan. If we end their strongholds in Fata, including Waziristan, and act decisively against all criminals in the rest of the country, the menace of Taliban will end. Though it is easier said than done, it can, however, be done. It has to be done!

Peshawar: Baptised in blood

Those who rule us should hang their heads in collective shame, when suicide bombers can enter a church in Peshawar and kill over 70 worshippers. The number is sure to rise as many of the 120 injured are in critical condition. If any of us professes shock that such an attack could take place here, that humanity could sink so low, their surprise will ring hollow. Even though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack as these lines are written, the answer to that question doesn’t really matter. All of us can guess; it is the same forces that have struck before – in many places, and in many ways. We have become a country where identity – be it religion, ethnicity or gender – can be the difference between being allowed to live and having a permanent death sentence hanging over you. Christians are massacred while they pray, Shias are hauled out of buses and killed over belief and women are murdered, raped and humiliated because of traditional notions of ‘honour’. The Christians – as patriotic and as Pakistani as any of us – have hardly ever been involved in controversies and have generally chosen to keep a relatively low profile, speaking out only peacefully about the ceaseless social, economic and religious discrimination in their face. Have they been targeted because of their association with the ‘west’ and the notion that they have links with the Christians in the US and other nations? Who can assume that the madness that drives some to mow down human beings like that is immune to this brand of hatred? The perfunctory words of condemnation that were issued by the politicians after the church attack are no longer enough. Sending a few government officials to the site of the attack – as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did by sending Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and as the PTI leadership did, taking time out from meetings in the luxurious environs of Islamabad – will not suffice. Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the ANP was forced to leave the spot due to the rage of mourners as he reached the church to condole with families. PTI chief Imran Khan has commented on how such attacks seem to take place just when peace talks are approaching and then lashed out at his political opponents, rather than those who committed this monstrosity. This is egregious behaviour. The absolute last thing we need right now is the usual bout of conspiracy theories – a result of flights of foolish fancy based on notions that ‘outside’ forces did it. It is no time for ignorance and irresponsibility. This country has borne too much pain for business to continue as usual. It is time to level with the citizenry. We can’t simply be told that talks will be the held with the militants and then everything will miraculously resolve itself. It must be explained, in great detail, exactly what is being done to check the triumphant march of hatred and madness. What concessions are on the table? If there is to be any red line, what is it? Right now, what should the victims, their families and people at large expect? That such attacks will continue with impunity without any consequences for those who perpetrate them? Members of the Christian community who blocked roads with the bodies of their loved ones should be joined by the rest of Pakistan. This should be no occasion to wonder just how many non-Christians – the members of Pakistan’s Muslim majority – mourn with them. This was an attack on everyone who doesn’t subscribe to obscurantist agendas. We have remained silent for far too long and silence now will have blood on its hands.

Peshawar church bombings toll hits 81; over 145 injured

The death toll of twin suicide bombings at a church in Peshawar has reached 81, Geo News reported. The tragedy came to pass after two suicide attackers blew themselves up outside a church near Qissa Khawani bazaar here on Sunday. According to latest reports at least 145 people were injured in the attacks. Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) cordoned off the site of crime after what is said to be the Pakistan’s deadliest attack on the Christian community. The dead and injured, some of them seriously, were rushed to different hospitals of Peshawar including Lady Reading Hospital. AFP adds: The two attackers struck at the end of a service at All Saints Church in Peshawar, the main town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has borne the brunt of a bloody extremist insurgency in recent years.There were 34 women and seven children among the dead. Pakistan's umbrella Taliban movement claimed responsibility, saying it had set up a new faction, Junood ul-Hifsa, to kill foreigners to avenge US drone strikes on Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives. "We carried out the suicide bombings at Peshawar church and will continue to strike foreigners and non-Muslims until drone attacks stop," Ahmad Marwat, a spokesman for the group, told AFP by telephone. In June, the group claimed responsibility for killing 10 foreign climbers at a base camp of Nanga Parbat, the second highest mountain in Pakistan after K-2.

Pope Francis also spoke out against the violence, calling it "a bad choice of hatred and war". The small and largely impoverished Christian community suffers discrimination in the overwhelmingly Muslim-majority nation but bombings against them are extremely rare. Schoolteacher Nazir Khan, 50, said at least 400 worshippers were greeting each other after the service when there was a huge explosion. "A huge blast threw me on the floor and as soon as I regained my senses, a second blast took place and I saw wounded people everywhere," Khan told AFP. An AFP reporter saw shreds of human flesh and bloodstains on the walls and floor of the church, whose windows had been ripped out by the blast. Pages of a Bible were scattered near the altar and rice meals mingled with dust on the floor amid shattered benches. Walls were gouged with ball bearings used in the explosives, he said. Grieving relatives blocked the main Grand Trunk Road highway with bodies of the victims to protest against the killings, an AFP reporter said. Christians in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and other cities also staged protest rallies to condemn the attacks and demand state protection for their lives and properties, AFP reporters said. In the southern port city of Karachi angry protesters clashed with police when they tried to clear a road in Isa Nagri, a low-income Christian neighbourhood.In the town of Gojra in Punjab province in 2009, a mob burned 77 houses and killed seven Christens.

Peshawar bleeds yet again

http://troubledmindsthoughts.blogspot.com/

On 22nd September 2013, around 78 people were killed and over a 100 were injured when two blasts occurred near a church in the Peshawar Kohati's gate area. Many women and children, including a three year old child, also died, and most of them are in a critical condition. What was their fault? What possible sin did they commit? What could they possibly have done to deserve something so horrific to happen to them? They were Christians. They were not Muslims. They did not believe what the 'official Muslims' of Pakistan believe in. Their fault is that they exist. Their fault is that they were born in Pakistan, the country which does not believe in the rights of minorities, rather it believes in the right to make their life a living hell. Their fault is that they are helpless. Their fault is that they are basically not Muslims. Today once again, the government has failed to provide adequate security to the minorities of Pakistan. Today once again people have died due to their beliefs. Today, children and women, for whom it was just an ordinary Sunday with ordinary church meetings, have died merely because they went to church to practise their beliefs. Now, they'll be returning home without their loved ones. Many of them will be returning to empty homes. But heartbreakingly, many of them will not be returning at all. All this commotion, all this haphazardness, all this chaos but the government just sits and does nothing. The government fails to provide adequate security to its minorities. It also fails to prevent hate speech against the minorities, all of them including Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis and Shias. It fails to give them their basic right - the right to live. No one can declare that any minority has been given that basic right, because that would be an outright lie. All the government can do when something like this happens is to fake a sad face, look grim and condemn the attack and demand for the victims to be brought to justice. They won't take any action against any perpetrators, they won't TRY to investigate the incident. Why? Because they're just minorities. So I ask the government and the politicians and everyone who just gave a statement condemning the attack - What will condemning the attack do? The victims, they don't need your fake sympathies. They don't need your phony statements about condemnation. They don't need your stupid statements to the press. They need security. They need justice. They need to be assured that this will not happen again. Can you provide it? Can you promise them this won't happen again? How can you when you don't even give a damn what happens to the minorities in Pakistan anyway? As long as no one hurts you and your family, why would you even care? We demand justice. We demand basic rights to be given to all minorities to be able to freely practise their religion, we demand them to be able to live without the fear of constantly look over their shoulder for someone who wants to kill them in the name of Islam. We want guarantee that all their rights will be safeguarded and that they will be provided security. We demand justice for each and every person who has been affected by those monstrous attacks in the name of Islam. This is not what Islam teaches. Islam is a religion of peace and love, it is not the religion of forcefulness and hatred and bloodshed. Today, Peshawar bleeds. Today Pakistan bleeds. You may not call them Pakistanis, you may even pass judgements that Christians have always been secretly working against Pakistan, but you know deep down that Christians are as Pakistani as they come. Today, they have lost over 60 members of their community. Just condemning an attack will not do. What good does it do to them? Will it bring their loved ones back? Will the perpetrators get what they deserve? Will the police even bother investigating? Or will they let it be, because after all, they're Christians, just another minority of Pakistan. Yesterday, the Kalima was removed from an Ahmadi mosque in Sialkot. Today, a massacre of Christians took place in Peshawar. What is next? Which minority is going to be targeted next? Shias? Hindus? Or back to Ahmadis? This is never going to end. This will keep on going until the extremists wipe out every minority from Pakistan and then live in the 'land of the pure'. That pure land which is now full of the blood of innocent men, women and children. The same pure land which all of these minorities helped to make. The same pure land which now has no place for anyone except the religious extremists inciting hatred against minorities and the greedy politicians, who only care about money and power. To the minorities, I say run. Run and do not look back. Pakistan is not the place to live right now, or anytime in the near future. Live somewhere where at least you will be treated like a human, at the very least. At least you would be able to live without the constant fear that you'll be murdered at that very spot. Run. To the attackers and the government, I say you can kill people and murder them in the name of Islam and you can condemn these incidents all you want, but God knows what is in your hearts. Fear the day when you will be judged in front of Him for murdering innocent people. Fear the day when He encompasses you in His Wrath. Because no wrath is greater than His. Fear that day. May some sense be knocked into you. So long. Till the next blast. Till the next minority attack in the name of Islam.

CLAAS issues initial report on Church attack in Peshawar

It is regret to inform you that militants attacked All Saint’s Church (protestant church) Church of Pakistan in Peshawar this morning while believers were busy in worship during Sunday Service. There were two police man deputed by the government who sit on the main gate of the church as security in routine. For last many days there was a threat by the Militants/Taliban’s for attack on the targeted church. But there was not any increase of police force to secure Christians during service. Two constables were not enough to stop suicide attacker when he forcefully entered in to the church premises. Through sources we are informed that there were two bomb blasted in the church one after another. About 45 killings of women men and children we heard and several injuries, and immediately shifted to hospital for emergency treatment. According to the source about 150 children were there in Sunday school who are severely injured and many of them died. It is shocking that all previous attacks and incidents happened in the presence of police including this and this is the biggest attack in the last five years. At 02:00 pm CLAAS team headed by Mr. Joseph Francis including Katherine Sapna, Rama Rasheed, SohailHabel, Asher Sarfraz, John Paul and Saleem Gabriel from Minority Movements in Pakistan reached at Lady Raiding Hospital (LRH) Peshawar at about 07:15 pm and visited injured and their family members, while some of them were shifted at Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Peshawar because of insufficient doctors and beds. It is also observed that there was not sufficient medical facilities in these government hospitals. The victims are not treated well. They are severely injured and their bodies are burnt due to blast but there are not burn wards with air condition/cooling and they are suffering with burn and sever pain. The other hand the dead bodies were buried at about 06:30 pm the same day without any proper funeral because of the government pressure on the church leaders. There were mostly children died in this attack and their parents severely injured. Parents were under treatment while the children’s dead bodies were buried by locals and the same as the children were in the hospitals under critical situation when the parent’s dead bodies were buried. The locals were depressed by their church leadership, no one was there from religious leadership to give them courage, though there were many Christian organizations present to show solidarity and to assure them that they are not alone. The bishop of Peshawar Diocese church of Pakistan was present there in the hospital but he did not leaded the funerals with prayers even the pastor was frightened and he did not offered funeral of the martyrs. CLAAS team visited all injured and helped them with the amount Rs.2000 rupees each for their expenses. They are getting free treatment in the hospitals but there were many other things like travel for one hospital to the other for which they need money. CLAAS team also met with the families for condolence who has lost their love one’s and showed sympathies and solidarity to be with them as a body of Jesus Christ. CLAAS team is in Peshawar and has intended to stage a press conference at press club Peshawar on this severe inhuman act to Muslim militants against Christians. CLAAS team will visit victim families at their houses and also attacked church. Team will also meet bishops of Peshawar Diocese, Church Pakistan.

Pakistan church blasts ‘demonstrate inability of authorities to protect minority communities’

Suicide bombing in an historic church in Peshawar, Pakistan, has been widely condemned by a UK-based human rights organisation as another example of how Pakistan’s authorities fail to protect minorities in the majority-Muslim country. Global Minorities Alliance (GMA), which advocates for the rights of persecuted minorities the world over, has watched the story unfold with mounting concern as it becomes apparent that a lack of help at the scene has caused chaos and is hampering efforts to find the people still missing.

The Church of Pakistan, in Khohati Gate district of Peshawar, was attacked while the Sunday services were coming to an end. More than 600 people were in the church when two suicide bombers entered and detonated their devices. The attack is said to have happened due to a security breach as the church had previously received bomb threats. The local authorities are now under fire for not following up on these threats, meaning nothing was done to protect the community that worships there. The blast has killed at least 70 people and injured 120 more; however, the death toll continues to rise, and the lack of help at the scene of the incident has angered the Christian community, which makes up 1.6% of Pakistan’s population. So far no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack, but previous attacks on the community – including last week’s murder of Boota Masih, a Christian man in Karachi who was stabbed to death in public – have been blamed on hardline Muslim groups. GMA’s chief executive, Manassi Bernard, is concerned at the lack of medical help for the many injured people at the scene: "There are not enough doctors available in the local Lady Reading Hospital, no help desk provided and the Christian community has no one to get help from.” The vice-chairperson of GMA, Shahid Khan, highlighted how the Christian community in Pakistan has always suffered attacks such as these, where no government help has been provided: "It is a security lapse where the government has failed to protect the minorities and I am deeply concerned about the chaotic situation at the scene of incident where church members have no clue where their loved ones are. “There are so many people missing and there is no help for the deeply-shocked Christian community.” Shamim Masih, a journalist and human rights activist based in Pakistan, spoke to GMA this morning to strongly condemn the attack and give a wider picture of the situation on the ground: "This is a security lapse since the Church has received threats of the attack and informed the local authority who did not provide any security. The local government has failed to protect minorities and has even been involved in hate speeches against minorities.” The attack is already being called one of the worst assaults on Christians in Pakistan for years; as the details unfold, it is expected that the death toll will rise. GMA has previously launched a campaign to highlight persecution against Pakistan’s Christian community through the misuse of blasphemy laws, where Christians are accused, imprisoned and murdered following accusations that they committed acts of blasphemy. These allegations are often unfounded or occur following trivial disputes, and yet can lead death sentences.

China: Bo verdict shows power of law is real

Yesterday, Jinan Intermediate People's court in East China's Shandong Province, handed down a verdict in the widely tracked trial of Bo Xilai. Bo was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life, and relieved of all his personal property. Although Bo is not the first former senior public servant to be tried and sentenced, his trial has captured the scrutiny of public opinion, and sent a warning signal to society. Some claims, allegedly based on so-called experience, presumed that Bo would get a fixed-term imprisonment, a decade or so, and the details of his trial proceedings would not be open to the public. These statements, however, attached some non-legal elements to Bo's case, such as his former high-ranking position in the central government. The facts have proved that the proceeding of Bo's trial was not plotted, but strictly followed the law. Since last year when Neil Heywood's case was reinvestigated, China's judicial system has been run in rigid compliance of the law in the cases of Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai. All people are equal in the face of the law. This principle is the most highlighted voice cried by civilians for social justice. The will of the people has been responded to in Bo's trial, the spirit of law also being upheld. Exaggerated rumors and baseless speculation flooded public opinion when Bo was exposed one and a half years ago. Now the public trial has made the dust settle down, and has been approved by public opinion. Bo was ushered into the spotlight in his trial, in which his charges and attitudes toward these charges were clearly shown to the public. Although different opinions about the measurement of punishment were expressed after the verdict, they are just normal social responses to the trial. China's anti-corruption campaign is now being pushed by all walks of life, but it can only be run on the basis of Chinese law. Fighting corruption in accordance with the law needs rigid efforts, and Bo's trial and its verdict have greatly increased the authority and prestige of the law in Chinese society. Some people believed that Bo would never fall because of his stature and position. There were also some people convinced that Bo would receive a wild conviction. But the truth has dealt a blow to these assumptions. Bo's trial has sounded the alarm for corrupt officials, showing the resolve and confidence of the central government to carry forward the anti-corruption campaign. Such a campaign will not become empty talk.

Saudi women call new day of defiance against driving ban

Saudi women activists have called for a new day of defiance next month of the longstanding ban on women driving in the ultra-conservative kingdom. An online petition entitled "Oct 26th, driving for women" had on Sunday gathered more than 5,800 signatories, as activists try again to push authorities to end the unique ban. "I will drive on October 26," activist Nasima al-Sada told AFP on Sunday, saying that some 20 women are going to take part in the campaign in the kingdom's Eastern Province. "Many women are enthusiastic about learning to drive, or to teach other" women how to drive, she said, as many Saudi women have obtained abroad the driving licences they are denied in their homeland. "There is not a single text in the Sharia Islamic law that prevents us (from driving). Any pretexts used to do that are based on inherited customs," said the online petition. "Just as revered women (at the time of the prophet) rode horses and camels, it is our right to drive cars -- the mode of our modern age, unless you want us to go back to mules and horses," the petition said. The last day of of defiance against the ban was on June, 17 2011, when few women answered a call to drive, with some stopped by police and forced to sign a pledge not to take to the wheel again. "I can't drive because of the pledge I signed," said Najla al-Hariri, who took part in the protest in 2011, expressing strong support for the new campaign. In addition to the driving ban, Saudi Arabia imposes other major restrictions on women, including a requirement to cover from head to toe when in public. The 2011 call, which spread through Facebook and Twitter, was the largest mass action since November 1990, when 47 Saudi women were arrested and severely punished after demonstrating in cars.

50,000 Bangladeshi garment workers strike over ‘inhuman’ wages

http://worldnewsviews.com/

4 million employees work in the country's $20-billion garment export industry – 60 percent goes to Europe – and earn about $38 a month. They are demanding a raise to $103 a month. Earlier, the Bangladeshi government agreed to a 20 percent increase, but the workers called the raise “inhuman and humiliating.” “Our backs are against the wall, so we don’t have any alternative unless we raise our voice strongly,” Nazma Akter, president of the United Garments Workers’ Federation told protesters. “We will not hesitate to do anything to realize our demand. We are not the object of mercy, the economy moves with our toll,” Reuters reported her as saying. The rally lasted four hours and has been the largest gathering of its kind to realize their demand for raising wages,” according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police Chief Habibur Rahman. Over 300 factories near the capital closed as employees staged a walk-out, blocking a highway and damaging a few cars. The highway was blocked by at least 10,000 employees, according to local police. Several nearby factories were also vandalized by the protesters, which caused a halt in production. Meanwhile, the country's leadership has been negotiating with the demonstrators and the factory owners. The factory owners are strictly against the raise, because their Western customers are used to buying cheap clothing from them. The last time the government increased the minimum salary was in 2010, when they almost doubled it. In July, Bangladesh gave a boost to workers' rights, after a factory building collapse three months earlier leaving over 1,100 people dead. Furthermore, In June, hundreds of workers were rushed to hospital after drinking contaminated water. Bangladesh is also facing pressure from the EU, which threatened the country with sanctions, unless workers' safety standards are improved.

Honoring Navy Yard Victims, Obama Asks: ‘Do We Care Enough’ to Change?

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

President Obama on Sunday eulogized the 12 victims of the Navy Yard shooting and lamented what he called a “creeping resignation” in America about the inevitability of gun violence. In remarks to service members and their families who packed the bleachers in the barracks about two and a half blocks from where the killings took place last week, Mr. Obama vowed that he would not accept inaction after the latest in a string of mass shootings during his presidency. But the president appeared exasperated with the political system that he leads, admitting that changes in the nation’s gun laws “will not come from Washington, even when tragedy strikes Washington.” He acknowledged that his previous effort to pass new gun laws had failed, but he did not specifically call for a new political battle, saying change would come only when Americans decide they have had enough. The question is not, he said, “whether as Americans we care in moments of tragedy. Clearly we care. Our hearts are broken again. The question is do we care enough?” “It ought to be a shock to all of us, as a nation and a people,” he said. “It ought to obsess us. It ought to lead to some sort of transformation.” In his remarks to about 4,000 people, Mr. Obama called the Navy Yard shooting “unique,” and he remembered by name each of the victims, offering small memories from family members and friends of those who died: a volunteer, a Bible study leader, a Navy architect, a grandmother, a soccer coach, a car lover. “These are not statistics,” he said. “They are the lives that have been taken from us.” But he said the Navy Yard shootings were part of a pattern of gun violence that set America apart among advanced nations. Together, he said, they represented a kind of tragedy that has become accepted as “somehow just the way it is.” Before the ceremony, Mr. Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, met privately with family members of the victims. It has become an all-too-familiar role for Mr. Obama, who has presided over similarly grim services for the victims of shootings in Newtown, Conn.; Tucson; Aurora, Colo.; Oak Creek, Wis.; and Fort Hood, Tex. At each event, the president has sought to find the right balance between the sadness of a nation and the anger of its citizens. But past memorial services have also served to provide Mr. Obama with the emotional power to fuel his efforts to curb gun violence. During each event, the president has urged the nation to pass laws that would keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and mentally ill people. That message reached a fever pitch after the service for the 20 children who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, when Mr. Obama declared that it was time for Washington to take action. “In the coming weeks,” he said at the Newtown memorial, “I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens — from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators — in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this.” That promise led to an effort by the administration to push through aggressive gun restrictions, including an expanded background-check system that would have closed loopholes that allowed guns to be sold without a check. But months later, that effort failed when the Senate could not pass a compromise background-check bill amid fierce opposition from the National Rifle Association and lawmakers who favor gun rights. The president on Sunday did not specifically pledge to try again, noting that “the politics are difficult, as we saw this spring.” But he sought to reassure supporters of gun control measures that they would be successful, eventually, because of the grief that tragedies like the Navy Yard shooting produce. “It may not happen tomorrow and it may not happen next week and it may not happen next month,” he said. “But it will happen, because it’s the change we need. “Our tears are not enough,” he added. “Our words and our prayers are not enough.” If Americans want to honor the 12 men and women who died at the Navy Yard, he said, “we’re going to have to change. We’re going to have to change.” Mr. Obama quoted from Robert F. Kennedy’s speech in the hours after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. In that speech, the president said, Mr. Kennedy quoted a poet who wrote that “even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart” until later comes “wisdom through the awful grace of God.” Mr. Obama ended his remarks by urging that “in our grief, let us seek that grace. Let us find that wisdom.” The United States Navy Band played somber music as the guests quietly filed in ahead of the speakers, who included Vice Adm. William Hilarides, the commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, where the shootings took place. Also speaking were Vincent Gray, the mayor of Washington; Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations; Ray Mabus, the secretary of the Navy; and Chuck Hagel, the secretary of defense. Mr. Gray echoed Mr. Obama’s frustration with the refusal to pass new gun laws, saying that “this time it happened within the view of our Capitol dome and I, for one, will not be silent about the fact that the time has come for action.” Mr. Hagel declared that “together, we will recover.” The memorial wound down with a reading of the names of the 12 people who were killed at the Navy Yard, and then a long, sad rendition of taps.

Noor Jahan remembered on her 86th birth anniversary

Legendary singer and actress Noor Jahan remembered on Saturday on her 86th birth anniversary. Noor Jehan was the greatest film and music personality in the history of showbiz in Pakistan. Madam Noor Jahan was born on September 21, 1926 at Qasoor, Punjab. She started her film career in the age of just nine years old and became super star as baby artist and then a top singer and actress in Indian movies. After the partition, she moved from Bombay and started her film career in Pakistan as actress, since 1959 she became playback singer and dominated in more than 35 years. She sung appropriately more than six thousand songs in Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi films. She legendary playback singer Malika-e-Tarannum Noor Jehan was an equally proficient ghazal singer. With rigorous training in classical music, Noor Jehan employed the essential features necessary to present the ghazal in an exceptional manner. After partition, she moved from Bombay and started her film career in Pakistan as actress, singer and the first female film director with film Chann We in 1951. Her last film Ghalib was released in 1961. Since 1959 she became playback singer and dominated in more than 35 years. She sung appropriately more than six thousand songs in Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi films. She received many awards, including the highest Pakistani honour in entertainment, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (The Pride of Performance) in 1966. She also sang Many Patriotic songs during 1965 India-Pakistan war which became very popular. Madam Noor Jehan was born in a very poor family on September 21, 1926 at Qasoor, Punjab and died on December 23, 2000 at Karachi. Pakistan Post has issued a commemorative postage stamp of 8 rupees denomination on the occasion of her 86th birth anniversary.

Pope calls Pakistan church attack act of hate, war

Pope Francis has led several thousand people in a special prayer for the victims of the church attack in Pakistan. Francis was wrapping up a daylong visit to Sardinia on Sunday when he took the microphone and told throngs of young people about the scale of the attack in Peshawar.

He said those who carried out the attack ''took the wrong choice, one of hatred and war.'' He urged the young Sardinians present to instead work for peace, a message he has repeated in recent weeks amid escalating tensions in Syria. Sunday's suicide bombing outside the historic All Saints church killed dozens in the deadliest-ever attack on Pakistan's Christian minority, officials said.

Muslim Suicide bombers kill 77 Christens at Pakistan church

A blast at a Protestant church in northwest Pakistan killed 77 people and wounded more than 120, a local official said. The attack took place at the All Saints Church of Pakistan, in the violence-plagued city of Peshawar, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the country's capital, Islamabad. Two attackers struck right as services concluded, according to the Peshawar Diocese. "Suicide bombers entered the church compound from the main gate and blew themselves up in the midst of the people," a statement posted on the diocese website read. Choir members and children attending Sunday school are among the dead, they said. The outside of the church was peppered with debris, and crowds of men and rescue officials covered in blood. The Rev Humphrey S. Peters, Bishop of Peshawar, expressed condolences and called for prayers, but also struck a defiant tone. In a statement, Peters condemned the local government, calling the attack a "total failure" of official efforts to protect minorities. Christians make up less than 3% of the population in the South Asian nation of 193 million. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack.

Zardari, Bilawal, Shujaat condemn Peshawar church attack

Former President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the suicide attack inside a church in Peshawar killing scores of innocent people including women and children and injuring many more. In a message the former President said that no words were strong enough to condemn the barbaric and cruel attack on peaceful citizens professing a faith different from that of the majority and whose only fault was that they were offering their prayers. He said the latest suicide attack should serve to open the eyes of those who still believe in appeasing the militants. The militants cannot be appeased, they must not be, he said. Our values, our way of life and our very survival is threatened by the militants. This threat cannot be wished away, it has to be fought back with courage, conviction and resoluteness of the entire nation. The former President also prayed for those who lost their lives, expressed sympathies with bereaved families and prayed for early recovery of the injured. He also directed ppp workers to assist the victims families in rehabilitation. Patron-In-Chief of Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the bomb blast in a Church in Peshawar killing several innocent people this morning. In a statement, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that almost every segment of Pakistani society, which wants peace is being targeted by terrorists. From schools to hospitals and bazars to the places of worship, the terrorists seem to be unrestricted in mounting attacks, he said. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Senator Ch Shujat Hussain and senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch. Parvez Elahi have expressed their heartfelt grief and sorrow over heinous incident of attack on a church in Qissa Khwani Bazar of Peshawar. Both the leaders contacted the Bishop of Lahore Rev. Irfan Jamil on telephone and expressed their solidarity with the Christian community over the incident. In their message, they said that they share the grief and sorrow of the Christian community, strongly condemn the incident and demand protection of places of worship of the Christian community.

Bilawal Bhutto strongly condemns inhumane attack on Peshawar Church, announces to raise funds to rebuild the Church

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

Patron-In-Chief of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the bomb blast in a Church in Peshawar killing several innocent people while injuring many others this morning. In a statement, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that almost every segment of Pakistani society, which wants peace is being targeted by terrorists. From schools to hospitals and bazars to the places of worship, the terrorists seem to be unrestricted in mounting attacks, he said. Bilawal Bhutto further said such barbaric attack that contradicts all religious teachings, had again jeopardised the peace talks with terrorists. He urged the provincial and federal governments to provide adequate security to put an end to all terrorist attacks aimed at degrading Pakistani people, irrespective of their religious affiliation, and defiling sacred places. PPP chief directed the party’s provincial leadership and workers to visit the victims at the earliest and provide them all the relief possible. He also announced that PPP will be raising money to rebuild the church. The PPP leader sympathized with the grieved families of the innocent killed in the blast and said that entire PPP and entire Bhutto family stand by them in this hour of need. He demanded adequate and free medical treatment to all those wounded in the attack.

Peshawar Chruch Attack: Govt has no policy over terrorism: ANP

Leader of Awami National Party (ANP) and former provincial minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that attack on church is the mistake of government because it has no clear policy on terrorism.

Media reports said, Mian Iftikhar expressed solidarity with the wounded persons of Pakistan Church suicide attacks in Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). Talking to media he said people are dying while government is seen nowhere. “At the moment government performing its duty should have call the doctors back on duty immediately, there are no coffins present here, government should arrange coffins immediately, all such negligence will raise the fury amongst people”, he added. He said it is the matter of worry ness that minority community needs security just for the 1 day in a week, then why it was not provided to them. “We were with the people before and are with them now; we will live and die with our people,” he said.

VIDEO: Eye Witness of Peshawar Church Blast-22 Sep 2013

Eye Witness of Peshawar Church Blast-22 Sep 2013 by GeoNews

VIDEO: ANP leader Mian Iftikhar condemns Peshawar Chruch Blasts by islamist fanatics

Mian Iftikhar condemns Blasts-22 Sep 2013 by GeoNews

Dialogue with Taliban? Deobandi militants of TTP-ASWJ massacre at least 70 Christians in Peshawar

At least 70 people, most of them Christians, were killed and more than 60 were injured in a suicide attack by Deobandi militants near Kohati Gate, Peshawar on Sunday. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) has confirmed that were two suicide bombers. In the past, Deobandi militants belonging to Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (currently operating as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat Deobandi ASWJ) have attacked several churches in Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi etc.

The latest incident of Deobandi attack on Christian community occurred outside St John’s church in Peshawar after the Sunday service came to an end. Sources said suicide bomber blew himself up outside Kohati gate near the Pakistan Church. Two blast were heard in the areas.

- See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/283871#sthash.64jXZch9.dpuf

Drone strike kills six in South Waziristan

Six people were killed and three others injured in drone strike in South Waziristan on Sunday, Geo News reported. Sources said the unmanned jet fired two missiles at a house in Makeen area near the border. As a result, six people were killed and three others injured. The house was badly damaged in the strike, the sources added.

The drone continued hovering over the area after the strike, sources said.

Peshawar Church attack: Bilour arrives on the spot to express solidarity

Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, who himself is facing severe threat from the terrorists, lost no time to reach the Church attacked by two suicide bombers for expressing his sympathy and solidarity with the mourning Christian community on Sunday here, Geo News reported. However, he had to return soon as the environment over there was highly charged, while some enraged persons started voicing slogans. It may be recalled that at least 56 persons have lost their lives and over 70 wounded in this horrible suicide bombings till the filing of this report.

Blast at Pakistan church kills more than 60

A blast at a Protestant church in northwest Pakistan killed at least 61 people and wounded more than 120, authorities said Sunday. The attack took place at the All Saints Church of Pakistan, in the violence-plagued city of Peshawar, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the country's capital, Islamabad. Witnesses told CNN affiliate Geo News that at least one suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded bazaar near the church entrance as crowds of worshipers were leaving a Sunday morning service. Some of the victims were children, the witnesses said. The outside of the church was peppered with debris, and crowds of men and rescue officials covered in blood. Christians make up less than 3% of the population in the South Asian nation of 193 million. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack. But Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which Peshawar is the capital, is rife with Islamic extremists and has been the site of clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants. Earlier this month, a roadside bomb in the province killed a top Pakistani general, just a day after officials announced plans to withdraw troops from the region and pusue peace talks with Taliban militants. ATaliban spokesman said then that there is no ceasefire with the Pakistani government, warning that such attacks will continue. "We have killed them," Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said, "as they are killing us."

Bilawal Bhutto Condemns Attack on Peshawar Church

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

Patron-In-Chief of Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the bomb blast in a Church in Peshawar killing several innocent people this morning. In a statement, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that almost every segment of Pakistani society, which wants peace is being targeted by terrorists. From schools to hospitals and bazars to the places of worship, the terrorists seem to be unrestricted in mounting attacks, he said. The PPP leader sympathized with the grieved families of the innocent killed in the blast and demanded adequate and free medical treatment to all those wounded in the attack.

Deaths in Peshawar church bombing rise to 55

At least 55 people were killed and 70 others including women and children were injured in twin suicide blasts outside church in Qissa Khawani bazaar of Peshawar. Sources said suicide bombers blew themselves up outside Kohati gate near the Pakistan Church. Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) have cordoned off the area after the blast. Sources said 35 injured have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital. More causalities are feared in the blast. The eyewitnesses said the worshipers were leaving the Church when the blast occurred. More than 500 people were present in the Church at the time of suicide attack. Commissioner Peshawar Sahidzada Anees has confirmed the death toll in the suicide blast, adding 45 people were also injured. The condition of some is said to be critical, he said. SSP City Police said a policeman was martyred and another wounded in the attack. Bomb disposal squad chief Abdul Haq said two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the church when people were coming out after Sunday mass. Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Zaheerul Islam said "Six hundred people were inside the church when the blast took place".

Suicide Blast at Church in Pakistan's Peshawar Kills 50 INNOCENT Christens

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/

At least 43 people, including women and children, have been killed in a suicide bomb blast near a church in Peshawar. A suicide bomber blew himself up near the Pakistan Church in Peshawar's Kohati Gate area, the reports said. At least 55 people have been injured, some critically. Security officials have cordoned off the area and the injured have been taken to Lady Reading Hospital. The blast occurred as more than 500 Sunday worshippers started to leave the church, Pakistan's News International reported, citing eyewitnesses. "We have received nine dead and more than 30 wounded," a spokesman for Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital told Agence France-Presse. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack.

ANP's peace committee member gunned down in Buner

A local Awami National Party (ANP) leader was gunned down by unknown gunmen in Balu Khan village's Peer Baba area in Buner district on Sunday. Anwar Khan was also a member of a local peace committee which had formed a lashkar to resist the Taliban militants when they had taken control of the area in 2009.

Pakistan: 3 Ahmadiyya mosques vandalized by Punjab police personnel

Ahmadiyya Times

In their odd attempt to pacify the angry mob, Punjab police personnel themselves defaced the property by erasing Kalima (Islamic faith creed) and Quranic verses from the three Ahmadiyya mosques the police assumed were intended in the mullah action.

Three Ahmadiyya mosques in Sialkot, a town about 80 miles north of Lahore in the Punjab province in Pakistan, were vandalized by the police personnel themselves - not a mob, it is clarified by several sources in Pakistan. The rumors in the social media that an Ahmadiyya mosque was besieged by a large mob in Sialkot were put to rest by Mr. Saleemud Din, the national Ahmadiyya spokesperson in Pakistan. “There has been no mob attack on any Ahmadiyya Bayut Ul Zikar in Sialkot,” Saleem-ud Din wrote through Twitter in social media. An Islamists’ rally organized by Khatima-e Nubuwwat extremists did get started towards the Ahmadiyya locations in Sialkot city but, Mr. Din has confirmed, it was stopped from reaching the intended locations by the local police. In their odd attempt to pacify the angry mob, Punjab police personnel themselves defaced the properties they assumed were intended in the mullah action. Police erased Kalima (Islamic faith creed) and Quranic verses from the three Ahmadiyya mosques, Saleemud Din said. “The Bayut ul Zikar had small decorative minarets on the outer wall and doors that were damaged by the police,” Saleemud Din said. Mr. Saleemud Din says these events are a direct result of “the record number of anti-Ahmadiyya conferences allowed” recently by the authorities to spread anti-Ahmadiyya hatred across Pakistan The conferences and rallies are being convened by Islamists to commemorate the passing of 1974 anti-Ahmadiyya constitutional amendment. Saleemud Din reiterated that the police has a responsibility to protect Ahmadis - not appease the mullahs and lie down in front of their demands and comply. “Breaking few minarets are no means to deter Ahmadis from performing their spiritual duties,” Saleem ud Din wrote angrily in his twitter post. “Let me make it clear that no action what-so-ever can deter our faith & stop us from worshiping our Almighty Allah.”

Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif agreed to massacre more Shias by releasing senior Taliban commander

Ahlul Bayt News Agency

Pakistan released its most senior Afghan Taliban detainee, Abdul Ghani Baradar on Saturday, a senior official of the interior ministry told AFP. “Yes Baradar has been released,” Omar Hamid, a spokesman for interior ministry told AFP, without elaborating. In order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process, the detained Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, would be released on 21 September 2013, the Foreign Ministry had said in a statement issued on Friday. Moreover, Pakistan’s top official on foreign affairs and national security Sartaj Aziz had earlier said that Baradar would be released as soon as this month. “Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be freed into Pakistan and he will remain in the country until he decides himself to move anywhere he deems necessary to initiate the peace process,” Aziz told Dawn.com on Monday. Aziz, however, added that the former Taliban second-in-command will not be handed over to Afghanistan. “Handing over the key Taliban commander to Afghanistan will sabotage the purpose behind the decision of releasing him,” he said. Born in 1968 in the southern province of Uruzgan, Mullah Baradar fought the occupying Soviet forces in the late 1980s before becoming one of the founding members of the Taliban movement. When the Taliban took over in Kabul in 1996 after years of civil war, the young Baradar was a trusted friend of Mullah Omar and rose to become the movement’s top military strategist. After the fall of the Taliban, senior militants fled across the border to rear bases in Pakistan, where Mullah Baradar became a member of the so-called Quetta Shura, the movement’s ruling council. He was arrested in the country's southern port city of Karachi, reportedly in a secret raid by CIA and Pakistani agents, in an operation that was described as a huge blow to the Taliban. Meanwhile, the Afghan government had earlier welcomed Pakistan's announcement regarding release of Abdul Ghani Baradar, saying the move would help peace efforts after 12 years of war. “We welcome that this step is being taken,” Aimal Faizi, spokesman for Afghan president Hamid Karzai had told AFP. “We believe this will help the Afghan peace process. This is something we have been calling for a long time. It was on the agenda when the president visited Pakistan, so we are pleased.” Karzai made a two-day trip to Pakistan last month in a bid to overcome a series of public rows that have hampered efforts to end the war in Afghanistan as US-led Nato combat troops withdraw. During the visit, the Afghan president had urged Pakistan to help arrange peace talks between his government and the Taliban. Elements of the Pakistani state are widely accused of funding, controlling and sheltering the Taliban, but Islamabad says it will do anything to stop the fighting in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's Incompetent Govt: Blast Near Shia Mosque Kills 3, Injures 15 in Karachi

http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=465070

At least three people were martyred and at least 15 injured when a hand grenade exploded near a Shia Imambargah (place of worship) in Karachi’s Landhi neighbourhood late on Thursday night. Police officials confirmed that the target of the attack was Imambargah Sajjadia located in Landhi’s Majeed Colony. The blast was so loud it was heard from far distances, said Nasir Aftab, a senior police officer. “Imambargah building among other nearby houses was partially damaged by the blast,” he said. Aftab said those injured in the attack were all Shia Muslims who were attending a religious ceremony. Three of them were in critical condition, he added. Karachi Police chief Shahid Hayat, confirming the incident, told the media that unidentified attackers hurled a hand grenade at the Imambargah, adding the attacker fled away from the scene immediately after the bast. Police and Rangers have cordoned of the area and launched an initial investigation into the incident. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Karachi, a city of 18 million people which contributes 42 per cent of Pakistan's GDP, is rife with murder and kidnappings and has been plagued for years by ethnic, sectarian and political violence. We the Ahlul Bayt News Agency condemn the Killings of innocent civilians in Peshawar. We strongly urge the incompetent government of Pakistan to resolve this matter and save innocent lives.