Easter Sunday Bombing: Killing The Pakistani Christian

The Christian community, which was the target of Lahore terror attack that left 72 people dead on Sunday March 27, bears the cost of the government disastrous security policy, says Mosharraf Zaidi for the daily newspaper Karachi.

The Easter Sunday bombing in Lahore was meant to do many things. One of them was killing Christians. There is no punishment in Pakistan for hooliganism, or barbarianism, or wanton thuggery. You can attack the PTV headquarters, attack the parliament building, attack the Supreme Court building (yes, prime minister, we have not forgotten). You can destroy shops, and burn cars. You can set fire to metro stations. There is no punishment for any of this. But if you are a Pakistani Christian? That’s a crime that will be punished.

This week, just for a moment, let’s also feel for Christians in far-away lands. In Ethiopia, and Russia, and Wales, and yes, even America. What is it like to watch the news of an Easter Sunday bombing in that place called Pakistan, where some more Christians were killed?

The fight for a normal, peaceful Pakistan is still in its infancy. In this long war, we must do our best to asphyxiate confusion and obfuscation. The Easter Sunday bombing was an attack on Pakistan and Pakistaniat because it targeted Christians. But target Christians it did. And once again, we failed to protect them. The least we can do is to remember that.