Bomb blast kills 13 people and injures 85

Bomb blast kills 13 people and injures 85, including one Christian man in Pakistan

By Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS - Feb. 15, 2017) -- Six senior police officers and seven civilians were killed after a suicide bomb was detonated outside the Punjab Assembly in Lahore at 6pm Pakistan time on Monday (February 13).

The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) (www.britishpakistanichristiansassociation.org) reports a further 85 people were seriously wounded, including a Christian man named Suneel Masih (age 27) who was working as a sound engineer at a protest that was underway.

BPCA says it is believed that security forces were the main target of the attack and already Islamic extremism group Jamat-e-Islam has claimed responsibility for the detonation.

BPCA says that, apparently, a large group of chemists and pharmaceutical manufacturers were gathered in front of the provincial assembly to protest a government crackdown against the sale of illegal drugs. There was a significant presence of law enforcers in the area while the protest was ongoing. Up to 400 people had attended the protest.

Rescue services, including ambulances and fire tenders, reached the scene soon after the attack. An emergency was also declared in all hospitals of Lahore. However, the majority of the casualties were shifted to Mayo Hospital and Ganga Ram Hospital.

The explosion has raised the security risk status in Lahore to 'High alert' and schools and public buildings have seen a significant increase in security provision since the attack.

BPCA’s Lahore-based officer Ambar Saroya met with Suneel Masih to learn about the incident. Masih said: "It was a terrifying incident. I heard a large bang and the force threw me to the floor a few... moments later I realized I could not move my legs and had a severe pain in my back. I could see my blood spilling away and thought I was going to die.

"I could hear a cacophony of screams and people ran to assist the injured. I was bundled into a vehicle and taken to a local hospital. There I discovered I may never walk again and I pray that this will not be the case. I plead to Christians everywhere to pray for my recovery as I have two small children to raise."

Ambar provided food and flowers to victims and offered prayer to Christians and Muslims alike. Many Muslim's accepted Amber's prayers and expressed great thanks for his visit.

Ambar Saroy, BPCA's local officer, said: "This was the first time I have visited a hospital after a bomb attack. I could hear groans and screams of pain throughout Ganga Ram hospital it filled me with great terror. The man that carried out this lethal and devastating attack must have had no heart or mind -- he was just a killing machine. He should be condemned by all."

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said: "It is a sad reality of Pakistan that extremism is now pervading all elements of society, you cannot recognize an extremist -- there is no distinctive identification. This makes it hard for security forces to trace the terrorists in their midst especially suicide bombers in public spaces.

"However, investigative forces should be doing more to root out the problem before they have a chance for such devastation. It is remarkable that thousands of arrests took place after the Gulshan Park attack, rather than before the explosion occurred on Easter Day last year. This suggests that many of the perpetrators would have been known before the incident.

"Pakistan will not be able to win this war against terror by increasing and improving their security forces alone. They must start to address the madrassah education, extremist ideology promulgated by mosque, and the Islamic bias in their education system and national curriculum.

"The people of Pakistan have been brainwashed for long enough, and if peace is to ensue, greater focus must be placed in improving the next generation of citizens. Failure to act will not only continue the demise of the nation but will lead to anarchy in country that has already reached a nadir.

"I will continue to pay for the nation of Pakistan which desperately needs God's protection and peace."

Photo captions: 1) Rescuers and officials gather at bomb blast site (CNN) 2) Ambar Saroya met with Suneel Masih to learn about the incident (BPCA). 3) Michael Ireland

About the Writer: Michael Ireland is a volunteer internet journalist serving as Chief Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, as well as an Ordained Minister who has served with ASSIST Ministries and written for ANS since its beginning in 1989. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China, and Russia. Please consider helping Michael cover his expenses in bringing news of the Persecuted Church, by logging-on to: https://actintl.givingfuel.com/ireland-michael

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