A PRIEST of the Church of England who lost more than 25 members
of his extended family in the terrorist attack on All Saints',
Peshawar, last month (News,
27 September), has raised the alarm about the plight of those
injured in the blast.
The Team Vicar of West Bolton, the Revd Fayaz Adman, was born in
Peshawar, and was baptised, confirmed, and ordained at All Saints'.
He visited the city in the days after what is believed to be one of
the worst ever attacks on Pakistani Christians. After visiting
graveyards, he estimated that at least 150 died in the attack, and
that people were still dying "because of those fragments in their
bodies".
He was alarmed by the situation of the many people still in need
of hospital treatment. "It is sad to share with you that the local
private hospitals are charging about 30,000 to 40,000 rupees [£300
to £400] a month," he said. "It is a fortune, there. So, after our
discussion with the community members in Peshawar, we are
encouraging families to go to the Taxila Mission Hospital, 60 miles
away.
"The hospital is running in very good condition, and we are
happy to take those families. We need funds. We are looking for
those people to walk back and go into All Saints' Church and
worship the Lord again."
Taxila Christian Hospital was established in 1922, founded by Dr
John Gregory Martin of the United Presbyterian Mission. In 2002,
its chapel was targeted by terrorists in an attack in which four
nurses were killled.
Mr Adman has established Project Ummed - which means "hope" - to
raise these funds. Money is also needed to restore the graves of
those who died in the attack, he said. Mr Adman's wife, Ghazala, a
registered nurse, plans to travel out to Taxila to oversee the
project.
A fund-raising event was held last Friday at St Peter's,
Halliwell, and was supported by the writer Adrian Plass.
All Saints' was reopened days after the attack took place, but
Mr Adman said that the congregation was "still in trauma". He has
fond memories of growing up there: "It is the only Anglican church
in the city; so about 20 different colonies around this city wall
come to worship here, and every Sunday more than 600 people come to
worship together."
The attack had come as a shock, Mr Adman said, because relations
between Christians and Muslims in Peshawar had been good. Although
there had been some discrimination, most blasphemy cases had been
registered in the Punjab and other provinces. "Christians and
Muslims have been living together for ages."
In the wake of the attack, however, he echoed calls by the
British Pakistani Christian Association for asylum to be given to
Pakistani Christians.
Since his return from Peshawar, Mr Adman has met the Archbishop
of Canterbury, who, he said, was supportive of his project. On
Tuesday, Lambeth Palace confirmed that Archbishop Welby plans to
visit Pakistan next year.
Donations to Project Ummed can be made by cheque, payable to
"Manchester DBF", Church House, 90 Deansgate, Manchester M3
2GH.
"Peshawar" should be written on the back of the cheque.