Christian Family Shot and Injured in Pakistan
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Two members of a Christian family have been shot and wounded in Pakistan after buying a house in a Muslim neighborhood, Christian activists said Friday. The shooting happened after Nadeem Joseph reportedly purchased a home in the TV Colony in Pakistan’s volatile northwestern city of Peshawar in late May.
“However, when a neighbor named Salman Khan found out they were Christians, he told them they must leave immediately, “ explained Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), a major advocacy group.
The neighbor and his sons arrived at the Christians’ home on June 4. He gave the Joseph family 24 hours to leave, according to Christians familiar with the situation.
“Noticing that Salman and his sons had assault rifles, Nadeem tried to call the police but was shot twice in the stomach before he could do so,” VOMC told Worthy News. “The perpetrators then turned their guns on the other family members, wounding Nadeem’s mother-in-law in the shoulder.”
Rights investigators claimed that nobody intervened to help the Christians. “The family eventually managed to call an ambulance, and both Nadeem and his mother-in-law are now recovering in hospital,” VOMC said.
POLICE REPORT
A police report has reportedly been filed. Residents also claim that the Khan family was involved in the cocaine trade. There was no independent confirmation of these allegations.
VOMC said several attackers were detained but added that the main suspect Salman Khan fled the colony and is being sought by police.
The shootings come at a time of growing frictions between Christians and Pakistan’s majority Muslim population. “Religious intolerance and discrimination in Pakistan are widespread. This discrimination often dictates the jobs Christians are permitted to have, the education they receive, and even the neighborhoods in which they can live,” VOMC stressed.
VOMC told Worthy News that it had urged its supporters to “pray for full recovery on behalf of Nadeem and his mother-in-law. May all those responsible for the attack be brought to justice. “
The group also asked prayers that a majority of Pakistan’s population will recognize the “ injustices.”
And, “In the meantime, may those following Christ have the grace to consistently demonstrate His nature by extending forgiveness and lovingkindness to their unbelieving neighbors,” VOMC added.
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