Episcopal News Service reports on the aftermath of the bombing in Lahore:
The prime minister of Pakistan has said that the heart of every Pakistani was broken and that the whole nation was in the state of grief and sorrow during a televised address to the nation following the horrific Easter Day bomb attack in Lahorethat left at least 72 people dead and more than 300 injured.
The Taleban off-shoot Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, saying that the target of the attack was Christians celebrating Easter. But the indiscriminate nature of the suicide bombing, near the entrance to the women and children’s section of the Gulshan-e Iqbal park, meant that many more Muslims were killed and injured than Christians.
In his address, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said the government would not allow the terrorists to resurface and play with the lives of people, the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported. “This is my resolve, my government’s resolve, as well as the resolve of 200 million people,” Sharif said. “Insha Allah (God willing), no terrorist can breach the wall of our determination.” The bishop of Lahore, the Rt. Rev. Irfan Jamil, has asked the Anglican Communion to pray for the leadership of the Church in Pakistan as they seek to console the people.
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, called on Christians throughout the world to pray for all the people of Pakistan.
Image: The Moderator of the Church of Pakistan, Bishop Samuel Azariah visits victims of Easter Sunday’s bomb blast in Lahore to support them and their families. Photo: Diocese of Raiwind from ENS.