Pakistan: 10th anniversary of Akash Bashir's martyrdom

Site of Akash Bashir's martyrdom,St John's Catholic Church Lahore © ACN

Source: Aid to the Church in Need

Saturday, 15 March, marks the tenth anniversary of a 20-year-old volunteer security guard's martyrdom which saved the lives of up to 1,000 worshippers at a Catholic church in Lahore, Pakistan.

Akash Bashir was named a Servant of God by Pope Francis in January 2022, the first step on the way to him potentially becoming Pakistan's first saint. Even before the Pope's decision, he was already "hailed as a hero" by the community he had saved at St John's Catholic Church, according to John Pontifex, head of press and public affairs at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) (UK).

Mr Pontifex said: "Akash was standing guard at the entrance to the church during Sunday Mass when he saw a suspicious individual approach."

He added that Mr Bashir quickly realised that the man was wearing a suicide vest and proceeded to "throw himself" at the terrorist and lock his arms around him.

Mr Pontifex said that when he visited St John's Church six months after Mr Bashir's death eyewitnesses told him that Mr Bashir's "last words were: 'I will be prepared to give my life, but you will not enter our church.'

"In so doing, he was able to prevent that suicide bomb blast that then went off from having the full effect. As a result, the numbers who were injured and who died that day were massively reduced."

In addition to Mr Bashir and the attacker, two other people were killed by the explosion.

More than 10 people lost their lives at the nearby Christ Church in a second suicide attack the same day.

Mr Pontifex said: "As his mother told me, he knew what he was doing…

"She had begged her son, 'Please don't go to the church - you know it's dangerous'."

Churches in Pakistan began recruiting volunteer security guards after two suicide bombers killed 127 and injured 250 in an attack on All Saints Church in Peshawar in September 2013.

In a previous interview with ACN, Akash's mother said that her son "kept insisting for three months that he wanted to guard the church", adding that the young man "was ready to sacrifice his life if God gave him a chance to protect others".

Mr Pontifex concluded by calling for prayers for Pakistan's Christian community who "live in constant fear of violence and persecution for their faith".

ACN's work in Pakistan includes providing scholarships and pastoral programs for disadvantaged Christian children, as well as Mass stipends for priests and formation support for seminarians. The charity has also assisted the Church in Pakistan with emergency aid following anti-Christian attacks and funded construction projects, such as the building of churches.

LINKS

Pakistan: Young man who died protecting others, on road to sainthood: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/43997

Aid to the Church in Need: www.acnuk.org