Pakistan Christian leaders lash out at government

Christian leaders in Pakistan today condemned the government for failing to protect minorities after gunmen stormed a Christian welfare organisation.

The bloody attack that killed six Christians in Karachi revived fears they are being targeted by Islamic militants.

“Today’s incident shows that the government has failed to protect us,” said Bishop Victor Mall, head of the Diocese Church of Pakistan in the central city of Multan.

“People in our community now feel more insecure ... our people are being killed,” he said.

Authorities believe Islamic extremists are targeting Christians and Westerners in retaliation for the government’s support for the US-led war on terrorism.

A string of violent assaults on Christian organisations have killed 36 people and injured about 100 since President Pervez Musharraf gave his support to the anti-terror campaign.

Mall complained that even after today’s attack there was still no increased police presence outside his church.

“We are managing our security on our own,” he said.

Shehbaz Bhatti, a prominent Christian leader who heads the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, blamed the attack on Islamic militants sympathetic to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida and the Taliban.

He said Christians were increasingly feeling unprotected in Pakistan.

“Our anger is now reaching the boiling point,” he said.

Christians make up a small minority in Pakistan, where about 97% of the population is Muslim.