Christians Killed in Grenade Attack in Pakistan

the Protestant International Church in the Pakistani Capital Islamabad Sunday, March 17, and exploded several grenades, eye-witnesses said.

"I could feel the explosion…it was deafening", said British aid worker Nick Parham, who works for the Tearfund aid agency.

"One chap came down the aisle a couple of feet away from me. He had a belt on with a whole load of what looked like British army smoke grenades or home-made grenades," Parham told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

It was unclear what were the motives behind the attack, but analysts point out that Pakistan’s support for the American lead war against terrorism could have been a reason. "It is a terrorist attack designed to embarrass the government," said Islamabad police chief Nasir Khan Durrani.

The Protestant International Church, which is located near the American Embassy, is reportedly frequently visited by Westerners, including US diplomats.

However no organization claimed responsibility and police officials said it was too early to say whether diplomats or local Christians were the targets, the BBC said. There were up to 70 people attending the service at the Protestant International Church when the attack took place.

"We were half through the church service. When I got up, we tried to help people leave the church," said Parham. But it was too late for the wife of an American diplomat and her daughter, aged about 17, who were among those killed. An Afghan woman and a Pakistani national also died. The fifth victim has yet to be identified, local reports said.

Local police officials said about 45 people were wounded. Attacks on Christians in largely Muslim Pakistan are relatively rare, although a shooting incident in October 2001 in the eastern province of Punjab left 18 dead. That attack was blamed on hard-line Islamic groups opposed to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s support for the US-led war on terror.