An Assemblies of God church in Karachi was attacked by a mob of 30-35 locals who disliked the church. The onslaught occurred on the 26th October, 2018 due to the intolerance local Muslims have for religious minorities living in the area. The Assemblies of God Church, Mosiaymat, is situated in Chamman Iqbal colony Block 5 Gulstan-e-Johar, and these attackers belong to a group who live in the same street where the Church building is located.
The local Pastor, Shafqat Masih Sagar (62 yrs), alleges that attackers who hate seeing Christians worshipping and praising God attacked them. He told BPCA that, while the congregation was engaged in their regular Friday meeting at 7pm some haters led by Iqbal Kabaria Sariki (58) and Bilal Sariki (60) commenced an attack on the congregation.
We are unsure about the relationship between the two primary attackers but the Church Pastor is sure that not only they, their sons and other relatives are also involved in this attack. During the attack, the Muslim attackers threw fire crackers within the Church building to frighten the congregation and later when people attempted to flee the felt danger and to attempt to stop the attackers, they were brutally assaulted with large sticks. Many members of the congregation sustained grievous wounds.
As the situation escalated, the church Pastor called the police to control the situation. When the attackers heard the police were on their way, they immediately absconded the scene of the crime. The Senior Pastor, Pastor Shafqat Masih, who owns the building of the church registered the complaint against the culprits at the police station of Gulstan-e-Johar.
Initially the police appeared to take the investigation seriously; however they later failed to arrest any of the culprits. This was despite the fact that congregation rendered to the police medical reports evidencing the gravity of the injuries suffered by many victims of the Karachi attack. While there was a wealth of evidence, the police have since assumed a nonchalant disposition and are not proactively investigating the event or making any arrests.
Alarmingly, the church service continues to receive threats. We have received reports that the attackers are involved in illegal activities like kidnapping, rape, land capturing among others. The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) sent their officer, Irfan Masih, to investigate the whole incident. During his investigation of the events, Senior Pastor Shafqat Masih and his son Pastor Sharjeel (31), explained to BPCA that this was not the first attack on the congregation. They stated that the perpetrators have been bothering the church since circa May 2018. The pastor and his son further explained that they have received numerous verbal threats and this has now culminated in yet another violent siege on the church.
Frighteningly, we also heard from Pastor Sharjeel on the 5th December that he was recently attacked again by the same above-mentioned culprits who besieged him while he was parking his car near the church. There were approximately 15-17 people who attacked him and his wife with axes and sticks when they came to conduct a Christmas programme at the church.
The Pastor sustained severe injuries to his back, neck, arm, right leg and other parts of his body. Please see attached photographic evidence of the egregious injuries incurred by the Pastor during this violent attack.
Further details about this incident were contained in the FIR. Police succeeded in detaining one of the attackers, Mohammad Iqbal, though he has since been released on bail. The other assailants are still in hiding and there does not appear to be any real efforts on the part of the police to locate these offenders. The Church needs immediate security and funding to shift to another location as it is abundantly clear that the congregation and its members are at grave risk of further attacks. Their lives are under imminent threat.
FIR
The FIR Report dictated by main victim, Assistant Pastor Sharjeel outlined the details of the 5th December siege of the church where the culprits were charged under Section 156.
I Sharjeel Shafqat Assistant Pastor along with my wife Sarah Sharjeel, and six-year-old son travelled to a church meeting in their personal vehicle on 5th December.
Around 7pm we reached the Church and parked their car near the main entrance of the street.
While my vehicle was stationary two children who were playing a game came close to my vehicle and pretended to be hit by it.
I went to attend to the children and to showed them love and care but the grandfather of the children named IQBAL SARAIKI KABARI, took offence.
Along with 8 to 10 people he came towards my family with axes and sticks and they started to attack and started beating me badly.
Further attackers, around 15 in number came and joined them and they all beat me badly which caused severe injuries to my back, arm, neck, right leg and other parts of my body.
Their torture and violence over my body caused me internal and external injuries.
During all this incident my wife called Police Emergency helpline 15 and realising this all the attackers ran away from the place.
I am reporting this case so that the culprits can be caught and justice be done. The attackers attempted to kill me and also threatened to close down our church.
Wilson Chowdhry said:
“There have been an escalation of attacks on churches in Pakistan in the last year, not only by criminal gangs seeking to grab land, but by neighbours in local areas who believe Christians are a communal source of defilement.
“Despite the supposed protections of the constitution, Pak-Christians continue to suffer from the hate of the majority in a country where they make up only 1.6% of the population.”
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Church attack in Karachi
