Pakistan’s bishops condemn attack on police compound, pray for peace

Pakistani security forces ended a standoff with militants holed up inside a police compound in the northwestern part of the country on Saturday.

The standoff began Friday after a suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives into the complex in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the country’s border with Afghanistan.

Gunmen followed the vehicle, killing 21 people and wounding 103 others.

The compound houses offices of the Counter Terrorism Department and living quarters for counterterrorism officers who have carried out operations against militants across the province in recent years.

The coordinated attack occurred during traditional Friday prayers, and many of the dead and wounded were either police or worshippers.

Crux Now spoke with Bishop Samson Shukardin of  Hyderabad, President of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, who condemned the violence and offered his condolences and prayers for the victims and their loved ones.

“I extend my condolences to all those who have died, their families and survivors,” Suhardin said.

“We pray that the Almighty God grants them peace and I pray for consolation and healing of their families.”

“I also condemn the terrorists who carried out this attack,” he said. “What they have done is not right or good.