‘Protected By Christ’ Says Pakistan Lawyer After Surviving Assassination Attempt (Worthy News Exclusive)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JARANWALA, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A prominent Pakistani Christian lawyer who survived an assassination attempt in Pakistan’s Punjab province told Worthy News on Tuesday that Christ protected him.
Tahir Bashir said he thanked Worthy News for reporting about the Sunday morning attack on March 23, which included shootings directed at the car in which he was driving to a court in the Pakistani city of Jaranwala.
“Thank you very much for your message. I am saved with the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here in Pakistan, it is very difficult to support the persecuted religious minorities. However, I am doing this all with His help,” he added.
Bashir had raised anger among Muslim hardliners by successfully defending several Christians detained for “blasphemy” against Islam.
“Three unknown individuals on a motorbike attempted to stop our vehicle. When we didn’t stop, one of them fired a shot at our vehicle, causing both tires to burst,” the lawyer added.
He told Worthy News in an interview that after his driver managed to drive the vehicle away from the shooting, he filed “an application to police,” known as a First Information Report, to launch a criminal investigation.
REVENGE ATTACK
“It might have been a revenge attack” after several Christians were released from prison following his legal intervention, Bashir suggested.
No arrests were reported on Tuesday. Bashir is among several high-profile Pakistanis targeted for assassination since 2011.
Those killed include Salman Taseer, who was the 34th governor of Punjab from 2008 until January 4, 2011, when he was killed after criticizing blasphemy legislation and calling for the release of jailed Christian woman Asia Bibi.
Two months later, on March 2, 2011, Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s first Christian federal minister for minorities affairs, was assassinated by Islamic extremists as he attempted to end the blasphemy legislation.
Pakistan ranks 8th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where advocacy group Open Doors says Christians face the most persecution for their faith.
According to Christian researchers, some 4.5 million people, about 1.8 percent of the population, identify as Christians.
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