But it is still Easter Eve in Pakistan, the alert is at the highest level; the soldiers patrol each single entry of the Gulshan and Iqbal Park, but not just them: all the streets leading toward the churches and Catholic places of worship are closed and controlled by the soldiers of the Pakistani army. The Lahore cathedral is going to host the celebration of the festivity. Hundreds of people are converging toward the church. It is evening, there is a celebratory mood in the air and there is a great desire to participate in the scene. There is the Lahore bishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, and there is father Mani, who explains: “In the past they tried to make a terror attack here, but they didn’t make it. However they made a massacre in the Yohannabad quarter and on the day of Easter and just before the Holy Days there are always critical moments because, taking advantage of the vast participation of the devotees, the terrorists try to infiltrate and to cause a mass killing”.
Pakistan: Easter under siege
