During the Sunday service, a group of about forty people entered shooting into the air to scare the faithful. Less than an hour earlier, three boys had harassed and beaten the children of the local pastor. Church spokesman: “We will not interrupt our prayer meetings.”
Islamabad () – On Sunday, April 16, during the Sunday liturgy, a group of about 40 Muslims broke into the Voice of Jesus church in Khokhar Town, in the capital Islamabad, attacking and terrorizing the faithful who were attending the celebration.
The incident began with street harassment: three young Muslim men began to harass Sharjeel, 20, and his sister, 19, both sons of Pastor Younas Javed, director of the Voice of Jesus Protestant church. Sharjeel had asked the three Muslims to stop bothering his sister, but they began to mistreat and beat him before leaving.
Half an hour later, during the celebration, a group of 40 or 45 people attacked the church with iron bars, sticks, and loaded guns, shooting into the air to scare the faithful. In the general chaos, some were injured and the church building was desecrated. The assault only ended with the arrival of the police: Pastor Younas immediately filed a complaint against the three boys who had beaten his children and about forty strangers.
Tariq Ghouri, a human rights activist and coordinator of the diocesan office of the National Justice and Peace Commission in Rawalpindi, was with the pastor during the registration of the complaint: “I express my gratitude to the Islamabad police, who registered the complaint against the authors, also referring to the sections on terrorism. The attackers will not be able to be released on bail,” the activist explained. “Incidents of violence against religious minorities are increasing day by day, ruining the image of Pakistan internationally. The state seems indifferent and does nothing to deal with these incidents. Thus, the incidents will increase in the future. The The state should do everything possible to ensure the safety of religious minorities and support these peaceful communities who are doing everything possible for the progress of the country.”
In an interview with Pastor Rameez Munir, spokesman for the Voice of Jesus Church, stated: “We ask the government to guarantee the safety of our churches and to license our guards to carry weapons. We practice our rites peacefully, but these people who promote violence they don’t respect the law of the land and bother us because we have a different faith. In the city, these Muslims are known for their violent actions.”
“I am looking into the matter and have contacted the local police who have so far arrested five people,” the spokesman continued. “Some of the perpetrators are still at large, but the police have assured us that they will be arrested soon. We want justice and we will not interrupt our prayer meetings just because of these hatemongers.”
