CHAK 248, Pakistan — Christian families fled a Pakistani village in Punjab province June 17 after an armed mob injured Protestants preparing for an evangelistic meeting, the victims’ lawyer said. Seven Christians were injured when at least 41 Muslim men armed with guns, axes and wooden sticks attacked a Salvation Army church in Chak 248 north of Faisalabad, lawyer Khalil Tahir Sindhu said. The Christians’ refusal to give in to demands that they cancel the evangelistic meeting prompted the attack, Sindhu said.
The mob ruined many of the church’s books, and seven Christians suffered from bruises and fractured bones. “Some of the injuries were caused by being hit with the blunt side of an ax, while others were caused by the weapon’s sharp side,” Sindhu said.
Police initially refused to file a case against the mob, and doctors came under pressure from the Muslim attackers to underreport the Christians’ wounds.
Share with others: