APMA and Christians Protest Against Increasing Violence in Pakistan

On 7th April, two Christians - Pastor Shamoun Babar and his driver Daniel Emmanuel were found dead in the province of Peshawar, Pakistan. They were aged 37 and 36, and their families came forward to the police after they had been kidnapped on 5th April from the University town Peshawar.

On the bodies were marks found of torture and the hand of one of the victims was cut off, according to the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), which is a prominent human rights advocacy organisation representing all religious minorities.

The APMA chairman, Mr. Bhatti condemned the brutal crime and said that this act had caused insecurity and fear among the Christians in Pakistan. Mr. Bhatti asked the government to protect Christians from the growing violence and to bring the killers to justice. Recently there have been many reported attacks on the Christian communities in Pakistan.

On Easter Sunday, a group of Christians in the city of Lahore were ambushed and shot after leaving a church service. Several were injured and one man was killed, said a Christian Aid reported. Elsewhere in Pakistan, 60 women attending a prayer service were surrounded and violently attacked by a crowd of over 150.

Although the police believe the murder might be linked to Babar’s brother having an affair with a Muslim woman, Mr. Bhatti and many other Christians in Peshawar dispute this thought because Babar had constantly been receiving anonymous threats. They have said that this crime may have been meant to intimidate the Christian communities.

Later the unrest in the region showed, as a crowd of 200 mourning Pakistani Christians held a protest against the murder of the pastor and his driver. Police are keeping a close eye on the rising tensions in the province.