Please pray for the family of an elderly Pakistani Christian man who died in hospital on 3 June, nine days after he was attacked by Muslim extremists in Punjab province.
The man, who was in his 70s, was beaten and stoned by the mob of extremists on 25 May following unsubstantiated allegations that he had desecrated a Quran.
The street was filled by the extremist mob, whose actions caused the death of the Christian [image credit: Grazia Pakistan]
Following the baseless accusation that the believer had burned the Quran, a mob attacked the man outside his house. They also set fire to the house and to a shoe shop owned by the man’s family, as well as attacking and damaging the homes of other Christians in Sargodha city’s Mujahid Colony.
Police intervened with a water cannon to rescue the victim and other members of his family, while the mob continued to stone him.
The injured Christian was initially taken to a military hospital before being moved to a hospital in Rawalpindi, where he died of the injuries he sustained in the attack. The body of the victim was transported back to Sargodha for his funeral, held on the afternoon of 3 June.
Police say they have made more than 100 arrests, and registered terrorism cases against 44 nominated suspects. They have since tightened security on local churches and deployed personnel to protect them. They also, however, raised a “blasphemy” charge against the victim – despite the claims that he had desecrated the Quran being both unsubstantiated and vehemently denied by family members.
Pray for the family members of this believer, that they will be comforted following the death of their loved one and that their needs will be met following the burning of their shoe shop. Ask that the Lord brings peace and safety to the Christians of Pakistan and comforts the community whose homes were damaged by this act of violence.
