KARACHI, Pakistan (UCAN) -- The message of love and brotherhood, central to Christianity, is the key to counter increasing unrest, the chancellor of Karachi archdiocese said after bombs exploded in Karachi.

"Lives were lost and it is a matter of great grief. No religion suggests killing people. The extremists behind these attacks have distorted or just have no idea of the teachings of their religion," Father Saleh Diego, the chancellor told UCA News on July 9.

"The increasing unrest stresses more need to proclaim love and brotherhood, the message of Christianity," he added. Archbishop Evarist Pinto is presently out of the country.

Three persons died and 50 others were injured in seven bomb blasts that ripped through two localities within an hour in Karachi, 1,150 kilometers southwest of Islamabad, on July 7. According to media reports, most of the victims were pedestrians and children.

"These blasts have become a norm in our country, which is presently in the total grip of religious fundamentalists, Father Augustine Soares, rector of Christ the King Major Seminary in Karachi, told UCA News on July 9.

Ayaz Khokhar, 21, a local Catholic, told UCA News that same day that that the bombings produced a strong reaction. "Enraged people were pelting cars with stones and burning tires as I passed. Mobs had blocked several roads," he reported.

Nonetheless, Khokhar described the bombs as "low-intensity explosions meant for little damage." He blamed politicians for the bombings, saying they are "trying to distract the public instead of helping them during the present multiple crises" of inflation, power outages and food shortages.

Brother Anthony Ibraz, a major seminarian of Karachi archdiocese, told UCA News on July 9: "The situation in the country is worsening every passing day. I got concerned phone calls from back home after the repeated blasts in our big city. Terrorism backed by lawlessness is indeed one of our major problems."

Karachi, the country's largest city and main seaport, on its southern coast, had experienced a deadly explosion earlier in the year. Eleven people died and more than 50 were wounded when a bomb exploded on Jan. 14 evening in its busy Qaidabad area.

Militants seeking the overthrow of the government and strict adherence to Shari'a, the Islamic legal code, are blamed for a spate of attacks over the last 12 months. Some 95 percent of Pakistan's people are Muslims.

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