ASIA/PAKISTAN - Church destroyed and six Christians beaten in Punjab

Friday, 29 May 2015

Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - A new episode of violence against Christians in Pakistan. A Protestant church was destroyed and six Protestant Christians, including a Pastor, were beaten by armed men. The incident happened yesterday in Chakwal, a city in Punjab province, about 300 km south of Lahore. Pastor Suhail Masih and five other people were in the church when armed men entered the holy place, instigated by a local imam. They started to ravage and beat those present, escaping before the police arrived. Two people were detained by the police and then released. The wounded are in hospital with minor injuries.

According to preliminary reports, a few days ago Pastor Suhail Masih and his companions had been accused by the Muslims in the area of carrying out "proselytism and conversions of Muslims". The Christian community in Chakwal held a protest demanding the arrest of the culprits and the registration of a formal complaint. It also calls on the government to strengthen the security of churches and to punish those who foment hatred and violence against Christians in Pakistan.

The attack comes just days after the mass violence registered in the district of Sanda in Lahore, where a Muslim mob tried to burn a church and damaged some Christian houses, following a false accusation of blasphemy. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/05/2015)

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