Peshawar old city - hit by bomb blast(Photo: © Diocese of Peshawar)From the Peshawar Diocese Communications Desk:
May 29, 2009Yesterday, terrorists killed nine people and injured 63 in two separate blasts - one in the historic Qissa Khawani Bazar, which is not too far from the All Saints Church, Peshawar.
While three policemen were also killed, nine others were injured in a suicide attack on a police vehicle on Kohat Road, Peshawar. Both the bombs were planted in motorbikes and were triggered through time devices.
The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital where emergency was declared.
Similarly, three persons, including a Cop, were killed and 11 others
sustained injuries in a remote-controlled bomb explosion in Dera Ismail Khan, Southern District of NWFP [North West Frontier Province].
A day before, the terrorists rocked the city of Lahore, killing 30 and over 300 were injured.
Bomb zone cordoned off after the attack(Photo: © Diocese of Peshawar)
The security in the provincial capital is deteriorating day by day. The schools in Peshawar will remain closed until further orders. The Taliban have started flexing their muscles in Peshawar and are
threatening people from various walks of life, for example, they killed a Medical representative for not wearing traditional ‘Shalwar Kameez’, and threatened to kill more, if they didn’t wear the ‘dress code’ prescribed by them.
Female counsellors have also been threatened to stop their activities otherwise the Taliban will blow-up their offices.
Female nurses have been threatened to cover their faces, while serving the patients.
They are gradually tearing-up the fabric of the society and it seems as though the situation will go worse before it improves for good, hopefully.
There is little doubt that the bombing was connected to the military operation in Swat and Malakand.
As the fighting continues in the north, with the Taliban under pressure and at the receiving end, one could predict that there will be more attempts at such carnage in our towns and cities.
Peshawar Diocese highly condemns these shameful acts. Kindly pray for the innocent vulnerable people of Pakistan, especially NWFP and for more than two million internally displaced people.If you would like to contribute financially to the Church's relief efforts for the IDPs from Swat Valley, you can do so through CMS. Please use the link below, or send a cheque to CMS mentioning reference BDR (CMS, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ).