QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) - A small bomb exploded outside a remote village church Sunday, hours after thousands took to the streets in Pakistan's largest city demanding government protection of the country's minority Christian community.
The small, crude device was planted near a wall that surrounds a non-denominational church in the impoverished Sibi district of southwestern Baluchistan province, police officer Bashir Kohlo said. There were no casualties.
The explosion frightened the small Christian community living in the remote area about 100 miles east of Quetta, the provincial capital. Most of the 10 families living in the area are Christians, Kohlo said.
"People were panicked but fortunately no one was near the wall and no one was hurt," said Bashir Ahmad, another police officer. He said the church was closed at the time and sustained no damage from the explosion.
Pakistani Information Minister Nisar Memon said authorities did not know who was responsible for the bombing. Suspicion immediately fell on Islamic extremists, although he also suggested it could be the work of a "neighboring country" — a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan's rival and neighbor India.
The attack came after a large-scale demonstration in the southern port city and commercial hub of Karachi by 10,000 Pakistanis who gathered at a memorial for seven Christian charity workers shot execution-style at their office on Wednesday. The killings at the Institute for Peace and Justice ended a lull in strikes on Christian and Western targets in Pakistan.
No arrests have been made in connection with that attack or Sunday's bombing.
The demonstrators, predominantly Christians, filled the streets around Karachi's main cathedral, calling for increased security for Christians and the arrest of the gunmen who massacred the seven.
Angry protesters — some carrying crucifixes — blocked roads with makeshift barricades and garbage and shouted demands for Pakistan's interior minister to resign for failing to bring a stop to the deadly attacks.
Many demonstrators wore T-shirts reading "We Want Justice," and carried black banners and crosses.
Eight men carried an oak coffin containing one of the victims to the St. Patrick's cathedral. The coffin was draped in the Pakistani flag and emblazoned with a cross.
"Martyrs, we are ashamed your killers are alive," demonstrators shouted outside the cathedral.
Wednesday's killings were the latest of several fatal attacks blamed on Islamic militants since President Pervez Musharraf joined the U.S. war on terror in neighboring Afghanistan and decided to crack down on extremists at home.
On Sunday, Christian leaders said they were being victimized by the fallout from those decisions.
"Christians are paying the price for the bombing in Afghanistan," said Michael Javed, a former Christian lawmaker.
At least 36 people have been killed and about 100 injured in several acts of violence against Christians and Westerners.
About 3.8 million Christians, accounting for 2.5 percent of the population, live in Pakistan, which is 96 percent Muslim. The country is also home to very small numbers of Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.