Pockmarked walls a stark reminder

All Saints Church yet to see any repairs after many promises.

PESHAWAR: The blood-stained and pockmarked walls of All Saints Church are a testament to the terrible tragedy that befell Christians of the city last September. In the year that has passed, the church still has not seen any major repair attempts.

The only new additions to the boundary wall of the mosque-like church are the concrete barriers lining the entire outer cordon and barbed wire on top of the wall, making the church resemble police stations across the city.

Although the human loss of the calamity was enormous with over 100 dead and 150 injured—some disabled for life—the building sustained comparatively less damage.

The church’s walls are dotted with holes left behind by shrapnel. It would not be incorrect to say the unfortunate humans bore the major brunt of the blast that day and the building remained largely unscathed, except for broken windowpanes and the shrapnel damage.

Churchgoer Musharraf Ghazi told The Express Tribune the blast shattered the windows inside the church’s main hall and the community collected donations to repair them later.

Robinson Riaz, a security guard at All Saints, said the church had developed cracks in the walls and pillars following the blast, while the wooden ceiling had also been damaged.

Riaz maintained some planks remain missing from the ceiling and no repair work had been carried out in the past year. “Paint and whitewash alone will cost about Rs700,000-Rs800,000,” he added. The church’s Reverend Patrick Johnson confirmed the ceiling is damaged and leaks when it rains. According to Johnson, the Communication and Works (C&W) department had promised to renovate the building and last month floated a tender of around Rs1 million for renovation.

However, no money has been released for the purpose and no restoration work has begun, added Johnson. The reverend urged the provincial government to initiate the repairs soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2014.