PESHAWAR: Instead of participating in the Christmas-related festivities on Wednesday, visitors to All Saints` Church in the capital city were overwhelmed by the grief of losing 86 members of their community to the Sept 22 twin blasts at the colonial-era place of worship.

A pall of gloom enveloped the church, where Christians had turned up in large numbers for Christmas service, the first after the bombings.

The visitors embraced and consoled each other as most of them shared the tragedy of losing near and dear ones in one of the devastating terrorist activities in the city.

Pictures of those killed in the blasts and messages of their relatives were displayed in different portions of the church.

One of the posters carried pictures of a killed young man, wajid,with messages from his mother, sister and brothers. `My son I can`t live without you. Please come back,` the message of his mother states.

Fool-proof security measures were adopted as heavy contingent of police were deployed on routes leading to the church at Kohati Gate and visitors had to pass through a metal-detecting walk-through gate. Security officers were frisking each and every visitor.

The grief stricken persons including men, women and children were seen touching the pictures of their killed relatives with tears filled eyes.

Several of the visitors were inconsolable and were profusely crying and wailing. Many of them lit candies in memory of the deceased persons.

`We are shattered and have yet to come to term with this tragedy,` said Advocate Shaukat Ghulam, one of the injured persons who had also lost his brother William Ghulam, a prominent educationist, his nephew, Noel William, and niece, Merab William. `My sister-in-law had received injuries and has still been on bed. In such like situation how could we celebrate Christmas?` Mr Shaukat pointed out that Noelwas in final year of Khyber Medical College, while Merab was an intermediate student.

`Apart from my brother, who was the principal of Government Centennial Model School, we lost several of qualified members of our community in those blasts,` he said, adding that he fell with the blast and with in no time, their happy family was ruined.

Vicar Reverend Ejaz Gill, who was also present at the time of blast, led the service and prayed for peace and prosperity in Pakistan. In his sermon he also prayed to God for the defeat of evil forces involved in affecting tranquility in the society.

He prayed for the souls of those killed in the blasts and hoped that God would provide courage to the bereaved families to overcome their sorrows.

`How could I forget my 13-year old daughter who was a brilliant student of sixth grade and fell prey to terrorism,` said Mrs Susan Pervez, who was burying her face in a poster adorning picture of her daughter, Samorna Pervez.

Her another minor daughter of 10, Merab Pervez, still recalled with vividness that she was playing in thecourtyard and the blast took place, which also left her injured. The child said that she was scared when she again visited the church.

Pervez Masih, husband of Mrs Susan, was also injured in the attack.

She had also lost six other family members including two of her brothers-in-law and their wives. `Life will not be the same for me without my daughter.

Several of the injured persons were also among the visitors and were recalling the death and destruction which had descended on All Saints` Church, established in 1883.

One of the females, Ms Josephine was in a wheel chair as she had not completely recuperated following her leg was fractured in the blast.

She was looking at the picture of her deceased husband, Victor, and said that she had come out of the prayer hall when the blasts took place.

She added that she was then not in her senses and later on came to know that her husband had died in the occurrence.

Another young man of 28, Khurram Yaqoob, who lost his right eye, said that with the first blast his ears were clogged and could not hear the second blast, but it had badly injured him as several ball bearings pierced through his body.

`While I am now having an artificial eye, I have still been receiving treatment for injuries,` he said.

Meanwhile, services were held in all major churches of the provincial capital on Wednesday as well as Tuesday night.

Members of Christian faith participated in these services in large number and prayed for the well being of their community in particular and for the entire country in general.