By Mehwish Bhatti
Sikander Inyat (28 years old) was working as part of the volunteer security team protecting St James Catholic Church on March 15th 2015, a day when Sikander’s church and nearby Christ Church were struck by Muslim suicide bombers.
Whilst on duty Sikander heard a call that a potential bomber was travelling towards the church. Alerted to the attack, he and his colleagues rushed into action, their main aim being to protect the church and parishioners at all costs. Sikander’s responsibility was to shut the large iron gates to prevent the hate-filled attackers entering the church compound. He remembers that he grabbed the gates and began closing them when suddenly there was a huge explosion and then everything went black. Minutes later he awoke with a splitting headache and could not see out of his right eye. He was given initial first aid by other parishioners and was taken to Lahore General Hospital by ambulance. He later discovered that the explosion had ripped the heavy metal gate off its hinges, the impact completely destroying his right eye and shattering the femur in his left leg.
After being admitted to hospital, where he received stitches to his eye and a splint and bandage on his injured leg, Sikander was promptly discharged. The hospital gave him the appalling reason that they were full to capacity and there was no beds available for non-Muslims.
With no other option open to them Sikander’s family took him home and cared for him the best they could, but his health deteriorated. Praise God the BPCA were able to connect Sikander with man called Enan Samuel who contacted us after one of our appeals and offered to admit him into United Christian Hospital. There Sikander was treated free of cost until his health became more stable. Eventually he had to be discharged from there also due to the lack of finance to pay for a necessary eye operation. I visited Sikander both at Lahore General Hospital and United Christian Hospital. We gave him food packages and paid for bandages to be changed on his wounds. I also continued to pray with him and give spiritual counseling.
On my latest visit on July 7th 2015, I was pleased to see that he had recovered somewhat, but he is still in need of urgent medical attention. We are grateful that the supporters of the BPCA raised £200 to help Sikander’s family with rent and food for the time that he has been off work , and I cheerfully handed this across to Sikander. But what Sikander desperately needs is an artificial eye and an essential operation to his remaining eye to prevent him losing his sight altogether. The cost of this operation is £1700, completely out of the reach of this poor family who just cannot raise that amount.
I prayed with Sikander and his family who are all God-fearing Christians. Sikander’s married sister who has been nursing him since the incident shared her concerns about him:
“Sikander is so young and still has a long life ahead of him. He is now going to have a huge struggle to survive in the future. My father is old and Sikander will not be able to depend on him forever as dad is not working.”
She added:
“Sikander was the only person earning for our family and instead of carrying up the responsibility for our father, through no fault of his own he has become a burden for him. I am really worried when I watch Sikander lying all day long on the charpai (rope bed), he is depressed now and I am worried for his sanity.”
Sikander, while understandably downcast at times, remains full of faith and believes God will definitely heal and help him.
Mehwish prays with Sikander and his family
“Sikander Inyat is a remarkable man who was closing the church gates on a suicide bomber with no thought to himself. His bravery and courage contributed to many lives being spared that day and it deeply saddens me that he may lose his sight as a result. I pray that Sikander will receive the operation he needs to save his sight and that he will soon have his health and dignity fully restored.”
Please pray:
That Sikander will not lose his sight!
That he will be able to have all the medical treatment that he needs including an artificial eye
For him to fully recover and have his wish of returning to work and supporting his elderly father once more
For his faith to remain strong and for God to bless him and heal him
For protection for Lahore churches from further Muslim attacks
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