‘I prefer to die than let evil in’: Akash Bashir, Pakistan’s Servant of God
A Pakistani man stopped a parish bomber. Could he eventually be canonized?
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On a Sunday in March, ten years ago, a suicide bomber headed into a Catholic church in Lahore, Pakistan. He was intent on blowing up himself and those inside.
But the bomber’s path was blocked by 20-year old Akash Bashir, who told him “If I have to die, I'll die, but I won’t let you in.” When the bomb exploded, Akash was killed along with the bomber.
Askah’s action spared the lives of hundreds of Catholics in the church.
In 2022, Akash was formally declared a Servant of God by the Church — one of the first ever to come from Pakistan.*
Devotion to his cause is growing globally, with some looking forward to the possibility of his eventual canonization.
So who was Akash Bashir? How did his death become a sign of faith for so many?
Fr. Gabriel Cruz, SDB, a Salesian missionary in Pakistan between 2018 and 2022, is the vicepostulator of Akash’s cause for beatification and today works in the office of the postulator of the causes of the saints of the Salesian family in Rome.
The Pillar spoke with Fr. Cruz, on March 15, the 10th anniversary of Bashir’s death, about his cause for beatification, his life, and his relationship with the Salesian order.
The interview was conducted in Spanish, and has been edited for clarity and length.
Who was Akash Bashir?
Akash was a young Pakistani from a very humble Christian family. Christians in Pakistan, mostly Anglicans and Catholics, in total make up just over 1% of the population and tend to be the poorest in the country, which also has a serious problem of Muslim extremism, so it is difficult to live as a Christian. There is a very strong religious division.
Akash was born on June 22, 1994 near the border with Afghanistan. Precisely because of these difficulties suffered by Christians, his father decided to move to the other end of the country, to the city of Lahore, near the border with India. The largest Christian neighborhood in the country, Youhanabad, is in Lahore, and that is where they lived.
He had an older sister and three brothers, he was the second to last of the family’s children.
As a child Akash was very weak physically, barely surviving his first summer, when temperatures can reach 120 degrees, and had very little nourishment. But these circumstances had a positive influence on his way of being, because he was born struggling to live and faced poverty and precariousness from a very young age, giving him a lot of inner strength.
At one point in his youth he even thought about becoming a soldier. Partly because soldiers have a certain status but also because he saw it as a way to protect his people.
When they arrived in Lahore he entered one school, then another — he wasn't very comin his studies -- and then he came to the Salesian school. Salesians run a technical school and a boarding school for boys in Lahore. Since he lived in the neighborhood, he was not in the boarding school but he studied there and also took catechism classes with us.
Now, with the increase of attacks against Christians, the bishops of the country decided in 2013 to ask for the formation of groups of volunteers to be security guards in the churches. Just as there are lectors, acolytes, and the choir, they wanted to form a formal group of security guards.
At this point, Akash was 18 or 19 years old. He asked his parents for permission to join his parish guard group. His dad said yes without problem. His mom didn’t like the idea less but still gave him permission.
All the parishes in Youhanabad are fenced on the outside and have only one big entrance gate to facilitate the security work. The guards would guard the entrance to the church and atrium and see who was coming in and out, ask questions when someone they didn't know tried to enter, and so on.
But this group was also a community; they had formation meetings, prayer meetings, prayed the rosary together, studied the Bible together, etc. Akash was the youngest of the group, entering at the age of 18 or 19 with special permission from the parish priest.
Akash had a big devotion to Our Lady — almost every church in Pakistan has a grotto with a picture of Our Lady and Akash always went there to pray before he started his service, which was usually on Sunday mornings — and he always wore his rosary around his neck.
Something his mother told me is that the day of the attack, March 15, was Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, and for some reason Akash decided to wear a white salwar on that day. The salwar is a typical Pakistani long shirt. The mother asked him why he was wearing white if he was going to get it all dirty, but he said he wanted to dress like that because it was a special day.
This reminds me a lot of this vision from Revelation that says “These are the ones who have survived the time of great persecution; they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This image came directly to my mind when his mom was telling me how he dressed that day.
So, that day the church was full, as it is every Sunday in Pakistan. Two other guards who were nearby said that Akash saw a person running up and trying to enter. Akash stopped him because he saw something strange.
The Anglican church is about 500 meters away and also had a service at the same time. Amid the struggle with this man, they hear the explosion in the Anglican church and realize that there is something going on.
While struggling with the man, Akash notices that this man has a bomb hidden, so he tells him what were his last words: “If I have to die, I'll die, but I won't let you in” and he embraces the suicide bomber, which although it seems like an insignificant image, I really like it.
And then the bomb explodes.
Akash dies immediately. The other guards didn't make it in time to help him, but one lost an eye and the other was knocked unconscious and spent several days in the hospital. A man who was selling vegetables at the door of the church and a girl who was on the other side of the door playing in the atrium died with Akash.
There were many wounded, but only three Christians and the terrorist were killed. In the Anglican church about 14 people did die, most of whom were outside the church, because for some reason the bomber exploded the bomb outside.
Akash's family was not at that Mass, his sister was with an aunt, two of his brothers were working in another city with his father and his mother was at home with his youngest brother. Hearing the explosion, his mom came out and was told that the explosion happened at the parish.
She goes over to the church and immediately recognizes him by his long white shirt - no one touched him or went near him because they knew he was dead because he was the one who had confronted the terrorist.
The funeral for all the deceased started the day after. I say it “started” because in Pakistan funerals last three or four days. The funeral Mass was presided over by Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw of Lahore.
Hundreds of Christians took to the streets to venerate Akash because they know that he saved them. And that's what we call a “fame for holiness,” because it was something that people recognized right away.
In Pakistan they don't use the word “martyr” to describe people like Akash very much, because it has very strong Muslim connotations. So, the word that is used for what we know in the West as a “martyr” is the equivalent of “hero”. And people spontaneously start calling him a “hero.”
Three days after his death, a Muslim sent his family a block of marble, which is something you just can’t get in Pakistan, to make Akash's grave. His own father made the tomb with his own hands and he is now buried in the parish cemetery.
And how is his cause for beatification progressing so far?
I arrived in Pakistan a couple of years after his death and served there for four years.
After arriving, I realized that there is a very spontaneous devotion to his figure. The story impressed me very much because, besides, we Salesians are dedicated to the service and education of young people.
So, I spoke with my superiors in Rome and proposed to start the investigations to open the cause for the beatification of Akash as a martyr.
I spent 3 years talking to people, gathering evidence, collecting testimonies, until the Vatican gave its nulla osta, that is, there is no obstacle to continuing with the cause and the candidate can be named as a “Servant of God.” This happened in 2022, when the diocesan phase of the cause began. That part concluded on August 15, 2024 — so we are already in the Roman phase of his cause.
In a normal process, the next step would be the decree of “heroic virtues,” with which the Servant of God is recognized as Venerable, but in the cases of martyrs this part is skipped — although this does not mean that the cause is easier to prove.
So far, things have progressed well. The Vatican received the “public copy” of the cause’s documentation for study and approved it in October last year. So, now we are in the phase of preparing the positio, which is a much deeper and more elaborate historical and theological analysis of his life and death.
In Pakistan persecution against Christians is commonplace. What does it mean for the Christians of this country to eventually have their first ‘Blessed’?
It is bigger than Akash is himself, he represents the persecuted Christians in Pakistan and all over the world. So to be the first “Blessed” of this extremist Muslim country, he is the flag and the face of all those who have not had a voice and who suffer religious persecution around the world.
He is a very important figure in this sense, because he is a young man with a gigantic faith, who managed to defend his own faith and the faith of his Christian community.
There are two things that I like very much about his death. The first is that he died serving his community. He dedicated his short life to service and it is a very simple service: to guard a door. But that service led him to give his life. He died serving.
And another thing that I like very much is this embracing of the terrorist that can seem insignificant, but it is a spiritual image of facing evil with an embrace to stop its spread. It's about preventing evil from entering us and our community.
We Salesians have a saint for young people, St. Dominic Savio, who said “I prefer to die rather than sin”. It is a phrase that all our students know in our schools, in all the places where we work.
It seems to me that Akash updates this quote, he tells us: I prefer to die rather than let sin enter my community. I would rather die than let evil come into my community. As a Salesian, this seems to me very significant on a social and religious level.
His life was very simple, full of small details of service. It is a humble life but one that faces challenges with courage. And that simplicity becomes something extraordinary.
And that is precisely why he is a role model for us: because he can be imitated, he feels attainable.
In what way does he represent Salesian spirituality? Can you tell us a little about his spiritual life and his bond with the Salesians?
The Salesians, together with the Archdiocese of Lahore, propose him as a model of holiness, because, as a student of one of our institutions, he was an obvious part of our family. Although both the postulator and the vicepostulator are Salesians, we’re working hand in hand with the Archdiocese of Lahore, which is giving its full support to the cause.
His spiritual life was very simple, based on prayer, a great devotion to Our Lady, the Holy Mass and service to others. Akash also took some Bible study courses with the Salesians in Lahore.
You were superior of the Salesians in Pakistan. How is devotion to Akash lived in the country? How does it help Pakistani Christians to remain strong in the face of persecution?
The situation in Pakistan is not well known in the West. News of the biggest or worst cases come in every now and then, but at least once a month there is a terrorist attack or a situation of persecution or discrimination against Christians.
It is very common but this doesn’t usually appear on Western news. Many people have been tortured or persecuted for their faith and girls are stolen to be married off and forcibly converted to Islam.
But the most common thing in Pakistan is discrimination, rather than persecution. The Christian in Pakistan does not necessarily have to go into hiding, but is constantly discriminated against for his faith.
Immediately after his death, people made a small altar in front of the church where he died, as a sign of gratitude. This is precisely the “fame of holiness.” Akash became a light for Christians in Pakistan and beyond almost immediately after the attack.
When Akash signed up as a security guard, it was not a service that many people signed up for. But right after his death many young people volunteered to be security guards at churches in Pakistan.
We have testimonies of many people who regained their faith because of his example. The number of baptisms grew. “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians,” as that old Patristic saying goes.
In the diocesan process the witnesses were asked if they had received any grace from Akash. Many people said many things, but almost everyone said that they received the gift of “being alive.” People recognize the gift of life, the miracle of life, as a gift that was not taken away from them thanks to Akash.
This year, a group of Christians from different communities made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Akash Bashir and there is even talk of Muslims venerating his figure.
Could you tell us about this dimension of Akash's fame of holiness?
As there was a double bombing that day, the funeral had an ecumenical dimension, as authorities from both the Anglican and Catholic churches were present. This has brought Christians together very much. In our boarding school, half of the students are Protestant and half are Catholic. And we live in a reality where there is more that unites us than separates us and the figure of Akash has reinforced this.
Outside the Protestant church where the other attack happened, there is a small memorial with the photos of all the martyrs of that day and Akash is included, because for them he is just another martyr who died for his faith that day, even if he is Catholic.
And it is very interesting to see how even many Muslims show their respect and veneration for him for what he did.
This year, the Church will see the canonizations of two young saints: Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis.
In what way can Akash be another example for young Catholics to follow?
I think Akash can be an example precisely because he manages to live an extraordinary life doing the ordinary, which is something we promote in our Salesian spirituality, as well as the courage he shows in serving his community.
In this culture where we have a certain level of comfort and ease with everything, Akash can be an example precisely because he did not have that. But he faced and gave his life with all the difficulties he may have had, despite poverty or persecution.
Akash showed us that we can still live a happy life and give to others. I believe that the figure of such a young man is worth offering as an example to the world and to the Church.
*This article originally stated that Akash Bashir is the first Servant of God from Pakistan. In fact Shahbaz Bhatti was the first to be so declared in 2016. Bashir would be the country’s first to be declared Blessed if his cause progresses.
The Pillar regrets the error and suitable penances have been imposed on those responsible.
Would that we had a million Akash's in the world.
This was very moving, thank you for sharing.