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Pakistan: Church raises alarm as Taliban arrives in Karachi


Archbishop Coutts

Archbishop Coutts

Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi is gripped by fear after a wave of killings by the Taliban, the Archbishop of Karachi, Mgr Joseph Coutts said in an interview with Fides.

Archbishop Coutts said that ways and strategies to stop the violence are urgently required. He said: "I am very sad and worried because every day we have a record of 10-12 people killed by violence in the city. I have visited many families affected by this senseless violence, I blessed them, ensuring the support of the Church."

The local Church, through the Justice and Peace Commission has given a contribution of 50,000 rupees (£340 ) to five Christian families who have recently lost their loved ones in a wave of killings. The Archbishop gave a mandate to the Commission to follow the families, give them support and ensure the education of their children. According to data released by the authorities, in the first eight months of 2012, 1,725 people were killed in what was described as "a war of the road."

"Karachi is a city without peace and the people live in the nightmare of violence. Terrorist groups roam freely. Every day in some areas of the city there are murders and violence. The government seems helpless and unable to stop the fundamentalist groups and terrorists, "Noel Alfonce, diocesan coordinator of the Justice and Peace Commission said.

"The clashes between political parties and their terrorist wings play a fundamental role in the war of blood being held in Karachi. In addition, factions of the Taliban have begun to actively work in the city, " he added.

In recent months, a growing number of attacks and killings of Christians have been recorded in Esssa Nagri, a poor area which is home to a Christian community of more than 50,000 people.

Source: Fides

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