On the evening of April 2, following Good Friday services, a group of armed men and women assaulted the Gordon College Chapel in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. According to sources, the group was armed with automatic weapons and broke into the church compound, entering the chapel and adjoining residence. Having broken the locks at the main entrance, they installed new locks, while also destroying the sign advertising the chapel.
The group of assailants threw bibles to the ground and terrorized the women and children present, robbing them at gunpoint and then taking cash and jewellery. One of the captives managed to make a telephone call and informed a family member, Shaban Gill. Gill and Imran Nasir, whose 4 year-old and 18-month old daughters were captives at the chapel, informed the police and then themselves confronted the assailants.
Both Gill and Nasir were met with a hail of gunfire from within the compound but were unhurt. Police arrived on the scene and, after storming the gates, were able to arrest 5 men and 4 women inside. The police seized automatic weapons and ammunition. A large number of Christians rushed to the scene to show support for the police action.
The nine assailants are currently in jail and faces charges of hostage-taking, looting, harassment, discharging firearms, and disrespect for the sanctity of a place of worship. A First Information Report (FIR) registered against those arrested. The copies of the FIR were given to community leaders. At around 3:30am it was noticed that the armed policemen who had been ordered to guard the Chapel, were not present on duty.
In recent weeks, there have been a spate of deadly attacks on Christians in Pakistan. Arshid Masih, who had been employed by a prominent Muslim sheikh, was burned to death when he and his wife refused to convert to Islam. He died shortly thereafter while his wife was hospitalized following a gang rape by police officers while in custody. Christians live in fear in Pakistan and had warned of Islamist assaults in advance of Easter.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Google+