Desecration of  St. Peter’s Church
 

Today 22/10/99 at about 11:15 am St. Peter’s Catholic church situated in Township, Lahore was set on fire. This is the second incident of  communal attack on Christian churches in one month.

Members from CLAAS were immediately approached and the team reached at the site of occurrence at 12:00 am. By that time the fire was under control and the culprit was taken into custody by the police.

The foundation of St. Peter’s church was laid in 1973 by the Catholic mission. There are  about fifteen hundred Christian families living in Township, and there are seven churches of different denominations. Adjacent to this church is a High school for boy and girls which is being run by the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of Lahore. Father John Joseph OFM the perish priest while Mr. George Yaqoob serve there as a catechist. Mr. George Yaqoob lives on the Church premises with his family.  Inside the church there is a dressing room for Priest, the ventilator of this room open in the front veranda of Mr. George’s house. Mrs. Catherine George  wife of Mr. George Yaqoob told the team that at about 11:00 am while she was working in the kitchen two teachers from school came to borrow a utensil for cooking practical.  After giving them the utensil she went out to drink water and noticed smoke coming out of the dressing room ventilator she shouted to her husband who was in the house and ran out to inform the sisters. At that time the lunch break was ended, the children and teachers were going into their classes but hearing Mrs. Catherine everybody rushed into the church. Some boys who were standing outside saw one medium height man running towards the school with a Galen of petrol, the boys caught him. Zafer Daniel, In charge of youth choir told the team that after twenty minutes effort they controlled the fire but by that time all the things in the room were completely burnt, which included the ceiling fan the wiring, 2o Holy Bibles, 60 hymn books and several other holy books, priest’s gown, a big wooden cross, 14 stations of the cross, things used for the holy Alter, Music equipments, big steel cupboard and other wooden furniture. Mr. George immediately informed the local police station who took the culprit with them to the police station. Mrs. George told the team that three days before this incident  (on Monday) when her husband went to close the church in the evening he found that the big picture of cross, which was hanged on the Alter, was broken and pieces of glass frame were spread on the floor. She said that they informed the Church Priest but no action was taken as they all presumed it was an act committed by some drug addict. Church door remain open during the day time and are closed at 5:30 in the evening, there is no gate keeper in the church and the door remain opened till late at night.

The team then went to the Township police station. By that time no FIR was lodged and the culprit was being interrogated by the Army Captains. Assistant Commissioner Model Town, Area Magistrate, Deputy Superintendent Police and Station House Officer were also present in the police station.

During investigation he told that his name is Saeed Ahmed son of Abrahim resident of Greentown and he belongs to Sunni school of thought in Muslims. He admitted that he had burnt the church and also wanted to burn the Christian school. He said that he has done this because America urged Pakistan to call back its troops from Kargil while thousand of Muslims are being killed in Kashmir, he said that since America is Christian he had burnt the Church, he said that he wanted to show America that Muslims are not scared.

At about 3:00 pm an FIR No. 333/99 (first information report) was lodged against him under section 295 and 295A (for insulting religious sentiments) and 436/427 (for setting fire), on the complaint of  Babu George Yaqoob son of Yaqoob Masih. The police has taken all the burnt items into their custody and a police squad had been appointed on the church premises for security and protection.

On 23rd October 1999 Saeed Ahmed was transferred to CIA (Crime Investigating Agency) Model Town. Three high officials Superintendent Police Crime Branch, Deputy Superintendent Police Model Town and Assistant Superintendent Police Township will investigate the matter.
 

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M. Joseph Francis
Coordinator CLAAS
Dated: 23 October 1999