KARACHI: Four people were killed and another dozen injured in a grenade attack on a Presbyterian Church-funded hospital in the ancient town of Taxila, some 30 kilometers from Rawalpindi. Witnesses said the attackers hurled two grenades in the direction of Christian staff who were coming out of a chapel located on the hospital premises. Three nurses died on the spot. One of the three assailants was also killed in the attack when the grenade he was carrying exploded. A hospital worker said Friday that shortly before the chapel service ended the men were involved in a scuffle with guards who told them to clear the area.
Reporters who reached the site were told by witnesses Friday that the assailants announced they were from the violence-racked city of Karachi. They were quoted as saying that more Christian institutions would be targetted in the days to come--chilling words that were uttered earlier by the slain suspects in the Mureee school attack. Officials have not yet commented on their reported remarks. Christian rights activists believe there is some symbolism in the latest target of terrorists--Taxila--because the patron saint of Pakistan St Thomas began his missionary work in the Asian subcontinent from here. "We cannot lose sight of the fact that it was in Taxila that St Thomas planted the seeds of Christianity," said Naveed Anjum, a church pastor in Karachi. "One can also see that the cycle of violence is growing," Anjum pointed out. Friday's attack was the fourth attack against Christian targets in 11 months and the second in 96 hours. Founded in 1922 by Dr. J.B. Martin, Christian Hospital, Taxila, is currently the largest eye service hospital in the world. Some 587 of its 766 beds are reserved for eye patients. Over 102,000 patients come to the hospital each year. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs http://www.hotjobs.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
