08032
January 11, 2008

Life-shifting

Normally safe Lahore shaken by latest Pakistan bombing

by Presbyterian News Service

Editor’s note: The author of this account on the situation in Pakistan, a PC(USA) mission worker, cannot be identified for security reasons. — Jerry L. Van Marter

LAHORE, Pakistan — The bomb in Lahore today (Jan. 10) was deadly and targeted — the police had just arrived for their duty near the Lahore High Court ahead of planned demonstrations against the government. 

These demonstrations have been a regular occurrence since March 9, 2007, when (Pakistan President) Musharraf removed the chief justice of the Supreme Court. 

They have largely been uneventful and quite honestly have become a part of daily life here. We’ve re-scheduled meetings, changed shopping plans, and avoided the area when we’ve known the lawyers were protesting. They are in the same place each time, outside the court building, so it is a location well known to all of us. 

These protests are rarely spontaneous. They have been planned and promoted so we  know to avoid the location at those times, and we do. 

Today was different, obviously. Someone wanted to send a message and they did.

We are shocked, angry and saddened by the loss of life and the shift this makes to life in Lahore.  When we’ve told you that the violence has been elsewhere — it has been.  Lahore has been among the safest places in Pakistan. We still think that way but certainly understand that it doesn’t look that way from the outside.

Know that we are cautious, careful, and conscious of our surroundings at all times.  Know, too, that our Pakistani friends and colleagues are very concerned about our well being and comfort. They look out for us in ways you can never imagine.

There is no denying that we could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The people at Westroads Mall in Omaha, at the church in Colorado Springs, or in the classrooms at Virginia Tech would say the same thing. 

We take every precaution and heed the advice of our Pakistani friends. If and when we need to leave, they’ll tell us and we’ll go.  We’ve developed emergency plans for all of us affiliated with the PCUSA in Pakistan.

Thank you for your prayers and concern.  Prayers for this country are even more important than prayers for us. We have blue passports and access to resources that allow us sanctuary. Our friends and colleagues don’t have those same resources. Their lives are far more affected by this than ours.

Please be in prayer for us in Pakistan, and for those living under the threat of violence in Kenya.

Information about and letters from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission workers throughout the world can be found at the Mission Connections Web site.