About Akash Bashir:
Akash Bashir was born in Risalpur, Pakistan, on June 22, 1994. He graduated from Don Bosco Technical Institute and was an active member of his Catholic parish community, regularly volunteering to help.
On March 15, 2015 during a shift volunteering as a security guard at St. John’s Catholic Church, he noticed a man trying to enter wearing an explosive belt around his waist. Akash blocked his path and said, “I will die, but I will not let you go in.” The suicide bomber detonated the explosives, killing himself, Akash, and two others outside the church building with them. In doing so, Akash Bashir saved the lives of over 1,000 Pakistani Catholic Christians who were attending Sunday services.
Akash Bashir declared Servant of God:
Akash Bashir was officially declared Servant of God by the Catholic Church on January 31, 2022.
“A great day for the Catholic Church in Pakistan. He offered his life as a sacrifice to save the lives of the Christian community at St. John’s Catholic Church, Youhanabad, Lahore,” said Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Lahore, Father Francis Gulzar. “He is the first Pakistani Christian who has been raised to the rank of the Holy People of God.”
Akash Bashir is buried in Youhanabad Catholic Cemetery, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. His tomb was built by his father in the same area where he sacrificed his life and has become a site of pilgrimage and a symbol of unity, attracting people from different faiths.