Since the government backed a U. S.-led military campaign against Afghanistan’s Taliban last year, more than two dozen Christians have been killed in Pakistan. The latest attack took place on Christmas Day as three girls (ages 6, 10, and 15) were killed by a grenade explosion inside a church near Lahore. Thirteen others were wounded.
The tiny, one-room church was filled with approximately 40 worshippers, mostly women and girls. According to witnesses, two "youngsters," both covered in burqas (garments worn by women in some Muslim nations), tossed what appeared to be a bag containing explosives into the crowd. A Christmas service was turned into "blood-soaked chaos."
Police detained six people including an Islamic cleric who allegedly told followers to kill Christians although some Muslim leaders immediately condemned the violence Pakistan’s prime minister described the attacks as "dastardly" and said they were designed to " ... foment religious and sectarian strife ..."
Pakistan’s Christians number about four million out of a total population of 140 million.
The All-Pakistan Minorities Alliance represents Christians as well as other minorities such as Sikhs and Hindus. Its leader said, "We will not keep silent ... we will protest at all levels."
A memorial service for the victims was held on December 26 with about 2,500 people (mostly Christians) in attendance. At its conclusion, the three coffins were carried to a cemetery for burial.
At a demonstration in front of the Catholic Cathedral Church in Multan (Central Pakistan), the Bishop of Multan said in part: "We want protection but the present government has failed in this."