“Make ready for them all that you can of force and of warhorses, so that by them you may strike terror in the enemy of Allah and your enemy…” (Qur’an 8:60)
“Muslim Gunmen Kill 14-Year-Old Christian Boy in Pakistan,” Morning Star News, February 6, 2024:
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Muslim gunmen shouting threats against Christians shot a 14-year-old Christian dead on Monday (Feb. 5) in Pakistan, sources said.
Sunil Masih and other Christians were standing in a market in the Mandiala Warraich area of Gujranwala District, Punjab Province, on Monday evening when six Muslim men armed with pistols arrived on motorcycles and opened fire on them, said the slain boy’s uncle, Mehboob Gill.
“We were talking to each other when suddenly Zaman Butt and his accomplices Anas Yaseen, Adil Abdul Rehman, Ashraf Inayat Ullah and two unidentified men came there on motorcycles,” Gill said. “Adil shouted that no Christian in the area should be left alive, after which Zaman opened fire on Sunil with his pistol, hitting him in the chest.”
Yaseen shot at another Christian boy, identified only as Jamshed, with the bullet only grazing him, Gill said.
“The other assailants also opened fire on us with their weapons, but we managed to save ourselves by taking cover of a wall,” Gill stated in the First Information Report (FIR No. 226/24) registered with the Gujranwala Cantt Police Station.
The gunmen fled the scene while hurling threats at the Christians and so far have not been arrested.
“We rushed Sunil to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his bullet wound before doctors could begin their treatment,” Gill said, adding that his nephew was an eighth-grade student whose father, George Masih, works at a local car shop.
The Rev. Numan Matto of the Gondalanwala Presbyterian Church in Gujranwala said the murder was religiously motivated.
“In May 2023, some Muslim youths disrupted a marriage ceremony of Christians and also attacked a church,” Matto told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “However, police and the district administration did not take any action against the influential accused, despite several protests by the Christian community.”
Between 400 to 450 Christians have lived in the area peaceably for decades, but recently the environment has turned hostile toward religious minorities, he said.
“If the police had taken stern action against the accused involved in the attack on the church last year, our young child would not have died at the hands of these criminals,” Matto said.
Fearing more attacks, he urged senior police and district administration officials to ensure the protection of the area’s Christians.
“Sunil’s murderers are at large, and the audacity of their attack shows that they will not hesitate to strike again,” he said. “The police will be responsible for any more loss of life of Christians if they do not take adequate security measures.”…
somehistory says
The police and their inaction are “responsible”…not totally, because the murderers are the main responsible ones; but by not arresting the guilty, they are enabling and emboldening the ghouls.
And the statement that the murder was “religiously motivated” is really unnecessary in light of the fact the murderous mozlum scum said that ” no Christian in the area should be left alive,” Can’t get any clearer than that….right out of the mouth of the snake.
Because the nation is controlled by mozlum scum, the Christians should not expect anything to be done by the authorities to bring the murderers to any semblance of justice. Instead, they should expect more such murders; and do as much as they can to prepare and protect themselves.
As far as they are able to do so, they should heed the words of Jesus to be “cautious and innocent,” to “flee to the next city” and “pray incessantly” as they “throw their burdens on Jehovah,” as the Apostles admonished.
The “world” which hates them, cannot be relied upon to help…not even a peep of protest against the targeted murders.
Mike says
Every Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist in Pakistan should try to leave Pakistan if possible, and move to India or elsewhere.
Also, Western aid to Pakistan should be greatly decreased unless the Pakistani government does more to protect religious minorities and rein in violent jihadists like these ones.
James Lincoln says
Agree, all foreign aid should be conditional on meeting objective metrics.
Christopher Watson says
All those Pakistanis who are now living in the west and receiving aid and support should remember that most of those who are giving them aid are Christian or christian. I say christian, with a small ‘c’ because they come from a christian culture, that is we help strangers, we do not lie, we do not harm those of other religions simply because they are of other religions, we respect those of other religions and include them in our good fortune. However they should remember that before we became “christian” in the modern sense we were very unpleasant. We killed thousands if not millions across Africa and Asia. We are not proud of that fact and for a century have tried to atone for that fact. But many the west are now wondering if that atonement has now run its course. Many are now saying ‘enough is enough’; even our Bible does not outlaw revenge. ‘A tooth for a tooth’ and ‘a head for a head’ may become more than just a saying.