Three Christians were shot and wounded in a Christmas Day gun attack on the house of a pastor and televangelist in Lahore, Pakistan, sources said.
Following a Christmas Eve confrontation through which Pastor Shahzad Siddique tried to stop Muslims from harassing guests, greater than a dozen gunmen the subsequent day opened fire on Christians at a gathering outside his home in Lahore’s Maryam Colony, said Siddique, a Pentecostal preacher on satellite television channel Praise TV.
“I had just returned home from my church and was resting when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire outside my house,” Sidique told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
He called a police helpline, and an assistant sub-inspector and one other officer arrived inside 25 minutes; at the identical time, some church members arrived for the planned Christmas festivities, he said.
“I used to be briefing the policemen concerning the firing incident when, swiftly, youths riding motorcycles got here there and opened indiscriminate fire on us,” Siddique said. “Unfortunately, three people – my uncle, driver and a church member – received bullet injuries on the arm, stomach, and leg. We were capable of catch one attacker while the others fled on foot, forsaking five motorcycles.”
Two of the three male church members wounded, Pastor Siddique’s uncle Arif Masih and driver Adnan Pervaiz, were out of danger, however the third Christian, Akash Patras, remained in serious condition with a wounded abdomen, the pastor said. Police have arrested five suspects and were raiding sites to apprehend other assailants, he said.
“I believed that this country was protected for us, but now I’m forced to confess that it’s not protected to be a Christian in Pakistan,” Pastor Siddique told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “I’ve at all times preached peace and tolerance, but this unprovoked attack has shown that extremist elements don’t want a peaceful society.”
Nasir Jameel, a neighbor of Pastor Siddique and member of his church, said the attack resulted from a minor altercation on Christmas Eve.
“Pastor Siddique was leading a rally comprising church members including young women and girls on Dec. 24 when a bunch of local Muslims riding a automobile began misbehaving with the participants,” Jameel told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Pastor Siddique and other elders confronted the Muslims and told them to not tease the congregants. This should have stoked anger within the Muslims and led them to plan the attack.”
Shehrbano Naqvi, assistant superintendent of Police Defense Circle, said officers were making efforts to arrest all assailants.
“We will make sure that all those involved on this incident will probably be arrested and punished,” she said, confirming the arrest of the five suspects. “We have also deployed police security in the realm to guard the Christian residents.”
Joseph Jansen of rights group Voice for Justice termed the attack on Pastor Siddique’s home as “deeply troubling and unacceptable.”
“This act of violence, driven by religious hatred, highlights a grave issue of intolerance and discrimination,” Jansen said. “The government of Pakistan must act decisively to carry accountable those inciting such hatred and attacking individuals and places of worship.”
Jansen expressed concern over a persistent culture of impunity in Pakistan that leaves religious minorities in constant fear of violence.
“Inaction against perpetrators has allowed extremist forces to thrive unchecked, further exacerbating the threat to vulnerable communities,” Jansen told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Pakistan’s failure to safeguard minority rights and stop religious based violence also undermines its international commitments.”
Pastor Siddique called on officials to arrest the entire attackers and make sure that they’re punished in accordance with the law.
“I also appeal the federal government to make sure the security of our community,” he said.
Violence against Christians in Pakistan has escalated within the recent years. On Aug. 16, 2023, a Muslim mob attacked Christian neighborhoods in Jaranwala Tehsil, Punjab Province, torching multiple churches and houses of Christians after two Christian men were accused of writing blasphemous content and desecrating the Quran.
Of the greater than 300 people arrested for the violence, just one continues to be in jail, with the remaining walking free on bail as a consequence of defective police investigation, rights advocates say.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of probably the most difficult places to be a Christian, because it was the previous 12 months.
