Pakistani Archbishop warns of backlash over Bin Laden’s death

(May 02, 2011) Pakistani Christians could suffer a backlash after US forces killed Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden on Sunday, according to the former head of the Catholic Church in the country. “We are a soft target as they cannot attack America. We demand security; the government should control any retaliation,” retired Archbishop of Lahore, Lawrence Saldanha told UCA news. But despite the risk of short-term retaliation against Christians, Bin Laden’s killing could return balance to the war-torn society of Pakistan, he said. He was hopeful that the killing of world’s most wanted terrorist will reduce the militant radicalism that has engulfed Pakistan in recent years. “At last we have hope that things will get better gradually”, he said, adding the terrorist was a role-model of extremism and a threat to world peace. “His death will change the complexion and decentralize as well as demystify extremism,” the archbishop said. Bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad city, some 50 km northeast of Islamabad, after a brief firefight with US forces. The Saudi Arabian-born Bin Laden was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed nearly 3,000 people.