Quetta Church Attack 17 December, 2017
Mr. Salamat Gill Coordinator CTS along with the team members and local volunteers in Quetta for fact-finding
Bethel Methodist Church, Zarghoon Road, is the most popular area of Quetta Cantt seems a most secured and a main attraction of the city of Quetta. On December 17, 2017 there was a brutal attack the terrorists – suicide bombers while innocent Christian worshipers (more than 400) were celebrating Christmas (Birth of Jesus Christ).
The incident was highlighted by different resources including electronic as well as social media. Christians’ True Spirit – CTS also got the word and decided to visit the occurrence place in collaboration with Pak Center for Law and Justice to see the facts related this brutal incident which caused the killing of innocent people and left several injured. A team headed by Salamat Gill Coordinator CTS, visited occurrence place to collect the data of expired, injured and the people on life risk. CTS team visited victims in the hospital and the families of the dead for solidarity and condolences. CTS collected the relevant info of the injured and collected data from the hospitals for possible remedies and support to these persecuted innocent Christian families.
Team also visited attacked Church and met the local Pastor Rev. Simon Bashir in- charge Bethel Methodist Church Quetta; Pastor informed CTS team that this church was established in 1959. Since the time Christians attend church and worship peacefully at the same place.
The church was attacked when Christmas celebration going on, the church was full of people; police and security guard tried to stop terrorists to enter the church premises but unfortunately one of them succeeded to trespass and opened fire over the people in the Church. People tried to hide themselves in the church under the benches and in the vestries both sides the church. Several got injured by receiving direct bullets and a few died at the spot including Mr. Gulzar Masih (X-ray Technician working in Civil Hospital) a very active church member who took care of church security every Sunday (voluntarily).
Whatever devastation made by terrorist outside the church but Gulzar Masih, Sultan Masih and George Masih resisted the assailants and stopped suicide bomber outside the Church where he exploded himself at the front of church door. Gulzar, Sultan and George lost their lives in this battle but they already win the life of several.
Status of Christians in Quetta
Mostly Christians doing government and nongovernment job as cleaner but the youth is educated and interested in doing their own business or office jobs such as computer operators. It is also worth mentioned that 30% of Christian youth working in the banks as clerk, cashier and as an accounts officer. While fact-finding, team came to know that most of the Christian youth interested playing cricket, football and Hockey, for two years they have been supported by provincial government to build more interest of these young players towards the said games. It seems that Christians in Quetta are not poor and they living a standard life.
Christian Localities:
There are about five big Christian Residential Areas in Quetta
| No. | Colonies | Population |
| 1- | Shazman Road Quetta | 70 houses |
| 2- | Kansi Road Quetta Basti Punchaiat (oldest Residetial Area) | 300 houses |
| 3- | Nawa Killi Youhanabad Quetta | 200 houses |
| 4- | Nawa Killi Bashirabad Queeta | 200 houses |
| 5- | Railway colony near civil hospital, M.A Jinnah Road Quetta. | 200 houses |
Background of the incident
As per the team findings a small number of Christians live among the Muslim masses at different areas of Quetta city. According to the facts the local Muslims are peaceful towards Christians but there is a specific group of Muslim Balochies called (Allaidigi Pasand) they don’t like Punjabi people either they are Christians or Muslims. Christians are on target, there is a severe threat to their well being and Church attack by the suicide bombers is the one major reason. Local government is failed to control these outfits and no permanent safety measures of the civilians especially Christians.
The local Pastor Simon Bashir reported that Bethel Methodist Church was on severe and open threats by the militants; the church was refused to provide sufficient security by the local police station even it was Christmas celebration and a big number of Christians gathered in the church. Local administration is also failed to provide self resilience trainings to the volunteer youth of the churches for their self defense. It is also observed that the volunteer youth is not permitted to have fire arms and not allowed to open fire in the case of emergency and self defense if they do so it is a crime and legal accusations should be leveled.
Visit to the Hospitals:
The team of four persons Mr. Qaiser Qayyum, and local volunteers Sarfraz Anthony, Hashim Dewan Khan, Adil Masih and others headed by Mr. Salamat Gill Coordinator Christians’ True Spirit – CTS visited all 57 injured one by one at 3 hospitals CMH, Civil Hospital and BMC Quetta and found them in poor and miserable condition. The family members were in shocked because of the critical condition of the patients and insufficient medical treatment provided by the government hospitals.
Several patients were discharged after given first aid treatment because there was not enough space in the hospital to keep the injured and provide them beds although these survivors still needed medication and to remove gunshots Ball Bearings inside the different parts of their bodies. These survivors have to rush towards the private hospitals in Multan, Karachi and etc. The moment they are facing multiple problems of having emergency treatment for their injured bodies, they are in shock and trauma too and in this condition are unable to bear their private medical expenses and they look forward to the immediate financial support for their proper medication and fast recovery.
The team also visited the families of 9 dead people for condolences. Showing solidarity with the victims Mr. Gill and team assured them for possible help and assistance.
List of the victims of blast:
Break down of the financial requirement for the injured of Bethel Methodist Church Quetta
| No. | Number | Age | Male/ Female | Category /Injuries | Hospital | |
| 1- | Injured discharged from the hospitals | |||||
| 1– | Adil Daniel s/o Daniel | 28 year-old | M | Back injury with fire | Civil Hospital | |
| 2- | Salwa Adil | 25 yaer-old | F | Left side belly and left leg | Civil Hospital | |
| 3- | Tina Qaiser w/o Qaiser Masih | 29 year-old | F | Write Shoulder | Civil Hospital | |
| 4- | Aysha | 55 year-old | F | No serious injury | BMC Hospital | |
| 5- | Anam | 24 year-old | F | ——— | ||
| 6- | Aalyia | 20 year-old | F | ———- | ||
| 7- | Michail s/o Shahzad | 14 year-old | F | Ball bearing on left foot | Civil Hospital | |
| 8- | Sabeeta w/o Khurram | 33 year-old | F | Breast ball bearing | CMH | |
| 9- | Rita Sikandar w/o Skinder 32 years | 32 year-old | F | Ball bearing on spine and feet | BMC Hospital | |
| 10- | Alieze D/o Ashiq | 1½year | F | Minor Ball baring | BMC | |
| 2- | Injured in critical situation need to be referred | |||||
| 1– | Vasica d/o Sohail | 20 year-old | F | 3 ball bearing on spine One on right cheeks | CMH, need to shift to other hospital | |
| 2- | Siara w/o Ashraf | 28 year-old | F | Bullet in head (removed) Bullet still in Chest | CMH | |
| 3- | ||||||
| Yousaf Masih | M | Right shoulder bullet, left foot fractured | Civil Hospital | |||
| 4- | Raheel Obaid | 41 year-old | M | Got bullets in belly bullets in both | ICU Surgical/ Civil Hospital but need to be | |
| 5- | Nadia Younus | F | Got bullets in belly bullets in both | referred to other hospital | ||
| 6- | Areeba Marriam d/o Barsharat,10th class student | 15 year-old | F | Shoulders Right hand injured Bullets in stomach Small intestine damage | ICU/Surgical Civil Hospital | |
| 3- | Injured still in the hospitals | |||||
| 1– | Shahzad s/o Niamat | 40 year-old | M | Minor
Head injury (ball barring) |
CMH | |
| 2- | Sadaf d/o Ashiq | 8 year-old | F | Civil Hospital | ||
| 3- | Sidra w/o Ashraf | 24 year-old | F | Chest bullet Serious | CMH | |
| 4- | Ashraf S/O Manzoor | 29 year-old | M | Left shoulder, Bullet | Civil Hospital trauma centre | |
| 5- | Prince DaimS/o Raheel Obaid | 2 ½ year-old | M | Leg injury | Civil Hospital | |
| 6- | Kashif Shamshaad S/O Shamshad | 40 year-old | M | Left shoulder, left elbow Fracture
2 slugs back side still in body |
Civil Hospital Surgical 2 | |
| 7- | Nadeem Akhtar S/o Yousaf Masih | 23 year-old | M | Right leg bullet Ball bearing on both feet | Civil Hospital | |
| 8- | Sherazi s/o Shamshad | M | Civil Hospital | |||
| 9- | Offaz Kamran | 19Year-old | M | Civil Hospital | ||
| 10- | Shayyan Kamran | M | Civil Hospital | |||
| 11- | Arshad Masih s/o Hameed | M | Right Leg Ball baring | Supervisor Railway Hospital | ||
| 12- | Aster Naseem | 23 year-old | F | Stomach ball bearing and head injury | BMC Hospital | |
| 14- | Shamim Ashiq | 33 year-old | F | Stomach ball barring | Civil Hospital Surgical 2 | |
| 15- | Yousaf Masih | 54 year-old | M | Ball bearing shoulder | ICU Civil Hospital | |
| 16- | Kanwal Raheel | 31 year-old | F | Left foot injury ball bearing | Civil Hospital | |
| 17- | Manaham D/o Shahzad 15 year-old | F | Arm fracture | Civil Hospital surgical 2 | ||
| 4- | Dead at the spot and later on in the hospitals | |||||
| 1– | Mehak D/O Sohail 1 | 3 year-old | F | Died | ||
| 2- | Gulzar Bhatti | Age 1968 | M | Died | ||
| 3- | George Masih | M | Died | |||
| 4- | Sultan Masih | M | Died | |||
| 5- | Akash Masih | M | Died | |||
| 6- | Madiha Barkat | F | Died | |||
| 7- | Fazal Masih | M | Died | |||
| 8- | Sona Nadif | M | Died | |||
| Total Injured visited by CTS team | 40 | |||||
| Female victims: | 21 | |||||
| Male victims: | 19 | |||||
| Deceased: | 8 | |||||
| Deceased females: | 2 | |||||
| Deceased Male: | 6 | |||||
