August 16, 2011: The Catholic Church in Pakistan has condemned Independence Day attacks
which killed at least 21 people.Some 15 people were killed and 23 injured in a blast
at a hotel in Dera Allah Yar, about 350 kilometers southwest of Quetta on Sunday.
Another six people died the same day amid ongoing violence in Karachi. Baloch Liberation
Tigers, a separatist organization, claimed responsibility for the blast and said they
would target anyone marking Independence Day. Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial hub,
which has been in the grip of ethnic and sectarian killings for years, has seen a
sharp increase in the numbers of murders since last month. Father Emmanuel Yousaf
Mani, national director of the Catholic Bishops National Commission for Justice and
Peace, said the killings are an attempt to demoralize the nation. “We condemn violence
whatever day it is. The extremists targeted innocent people enjoying their Independence
Day — they are trying to make people slaves to their own agendas,” he said.