Christian leaders condemn train attack, call it "inhuman tragedy"

The attack on the India–Pakistan trans–border twice–weekly service "friendship train" the Samjhauta Express, February 19, by unidentified terrorists, which has claimed at least 70 lives, mostly Pakistan nationals, has been condemned by the Christian leaders of India who have termed the attack a "most inhuman tragedy."

Denouncing the attack, Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo said that terrorists "who are blinded by hate and ignorance [and were] trying to disrupt the peace process between the two countries" were behind it.

"[The train] was a symbol of the growing peace and harmony between India and Pakistan. Sadly, there are those who want to disrupt the friendship that is being built between the two countries and that is a cause for concern. India, just seven months ago, was a target of a series of deadly attacks, and now she weeps for this new tragedy. It is all very sad," he said.

However, the cardinal is hopeful that people will not be cowered by such acts of terrorism. "Now more than ever the world must bear witness so that evil does not have the last word. We cannot allow dark forces to prevail. We can fight through prayer and atonement and prevent acts of reprisals or cowardly deeds of violence," he said.

"[We express our] deepest sympathy and closeness to those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones, victims of this act of terror. The Indian Church, through its parishes and mission stations, extends every support to the victims and their families. We want to help survivors, materially and spiritually," he said in his condolence message.

Calling the attack a "mindless violence," Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) said, "It is our strong belief and conviction that acts of violence and destruction of human life can never be considered as acceptable means of addressing any grievances in society."

"[Such violence] is nothing but a manifestation of scant regard for the sacredness of human life; and it must be curbed with all our strength," he added.

"In deep solidarity the Bishops stand with those who lost their dear and near ones in this ghastly incident and pray for the repose of the souls of the departed," said CBCI spokesperson Father Babu Joseph.

"That it happened on a train that has served as a symbol of growing peace and harmony between India and Pakistan is a matter of serious concern to us. And we hope such a cowardice act of violence will not dampen the spirit of mutual trust and confidence that has assiduously been built over the years between the two neighbouring countries," Fr. Joseph added, urging the two nations to move ahead with peace talks.

The twice–weekly service by Samjhauta Express from the Indian capital to Lahore in Pakistan was restarted in 2004 after a two–year gap as part of the peace process between the two countries.

The enmity between the two nations focuses primarily on Kashmir, a largely Muslim Himalayan region divided between them but claimed by both. More than a dozen militant groups have been fighting in Indian Kashmir for nearly two decades, seeking the region's independence or its merger with predominantly Islamic Pakistan. More than 68,000 people have died in the ongoing violence.

Monday's blaze revived memories of earlier train deaths, including July train bombings in Mumbai last year that killed more than 200 people. Police blamed those attacks on Lashkar–e–Tayyaba, a Pakistan–based Islamic militant group, as well as the Students' Islamic Movement of India, a banned Indian group. Officials also alleged Pakistani intelligence was involved, but Pakistan denies that.

The latest attack takes place just days before the fifth anniversary of a fire on a train carrying Hindu pilgrims that killed 59 people in Godhra in the western state of Gujarat, and sparked communal riots in which around 2,500 people died, most of them Muslims.

That fire was blamed at the time on Muslims, but some subsequent inquiries have said it could have been accidental.

About 84 percent of India's more than 1 billion people are Hindu. Muslims account for about 14 percent.