Karachi is the most violent city in Pakistan. A total of 1,046 deaths related to terror and militancy were reported there in 2016, and nearly 50% of the city’s young people want to leave Pakistan completely.
The violence has various causes, including divisions over politics, religion and ethnicity, as well as organised crime.
More than 70 Christians were killed while celebrating Easter in a park in 2016. The forced conversion of Hindu girls and the marginalisation of community members have been among other factors fuelling feelings of insecurity and isolation for minorities. [...]
The Christian devotees then invited both Hindus and Zoroastrians to join them in asking for benediction. In this way, novena prayers to Our Lady of Velankanni became a part of Catholic churches’ ceremonial activities across Karachi, and opened up the veneration of the Virgin Mary to new faiths.
For some Hindu devotees, Our Lady of Velankanni symbolises prosperity, aspirations, well-being, while providing answers to their prayers.
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