ISLAMABAD (AsiaNews): Christmas celebrations went off without a hitch in Pakistan as people in the cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta marked the birth of Jesus under military protection.
 
Following the December 17 attack on a Methodist church in Quetta, authorities beefed up security around all Christian places of worship to prevent other terrorist attacks and allow Christian celebrations to go ahead without any problems.
 
Top government officials also joined in the festivities with Pakistan’s president, Mamnoon Hussain, and prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, sending their best wishes.
 
Army chief of staff, Qamar Javed Bajwa, also attended Christmas celebrations at Christ Church in the garrison city of Rawalpindi—an exceptional occurrence as it is rare for a top general to attend a non-Muslim religious event.
 
In a statement issued by the Pakistan Army on December 25, Bajwa acknowledged the contribution Christians made not only to the creation of Pakistan but also to its progress.
 
Christians represent less than two per cent of Pakistan’s mostly Muslim population of 220 million.