Easter services in a village church, killing one man and injuring up to seven other congregants, a human rights watchdog and other reports said late Monday, March 28.
In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, The Voice Of the Martyrs (VOM) Canada said "four armed assailants" opened fire during Sunday’s Easter morning service of the Victory Church International in the village of Khamba near Lahore, "murdering one Christian" worshipper and injuring others.
VOM Canada, which has close contacts in the region, identified the killed person as Arshad Masih, who it claimed was "a young husband and father of a one-year-old daughter." Christian news agency Compass Direct said Masih, in his early 20s, died from a bullet that struck his head during "a half hour of indiscriminate shooting" by the four attackers.
GUNSHOT WOUNDS
Six or seven other victims suffering severe gunshot wounds were hospitalized at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, the news agency and VOM reported. Compass Direct quoted police as saying they had arrested several suspects in the shooting which they attributed to a local land dispute.
Compass Direct said the shooting began after Pastor Riaz Gill completed the Easter Sunday celebrations and dismissed his congregation, while VOM reported that the congregation was still worshipping when the gunmen opened fire. It was not clear what caused the slight discrepancy in the reports, but both sources suggested there was confusion surrounding the violence.
VOM Canada claimed the attack came "after a weekend of threats and intimidations" by a Muslim family against the congregation. "The 150-member church was forced to cancel their Good Friday and Saturday night services when the family threatened to kill anyone who came to the church. The Dogar family is apparently seeking to take possession of the land" that the church and its graveyard occupied for the last century.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED
VOM suggested three suspects connected to the family were arrested, while two others allegedly involved in the violence remained at large. Local police have been criticized for the way they handled the situation. Compass Direct quoted one hospitalized victim as saying that the two police constables assigned to guard the church during worship services left their posts before the attack began.
Under government regulations, police guards at minority places of worship must remain at the premises for religious services until everyone has left the site, following several terror attacks against Christian targets. But investigators reportedly claimed the two guards left the church premises as they believed the worship service was over, long before the shooting began.
John Alexander Mali, Bishop of Lahore of the Church of Pakistan, was to attend Monday’s funeral services for Masih. The bishop has reportedly insisted that the assailants be charged under Section 780 of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorist Act.
(With reports from Pakistan, Stefan J. Bos and Compass Direct).
