Three Christians were injured in a gun attack on Christmas Day outside the home of a pastor in Lahore. The attack occurred just one day after a confrontation between Pastor Shahzad Siddique and a group of Muslims who had allegedly been harassing guests at a church event.
Pastor Siddique said, “I had returned home from church on Christmas Day and was resting when gunmen opened fire on a gathering outside my house in Maryam Colony.”
“Later, when I called the police and was reporting the incident to them, armed men on motorcycles suddenly arrived and started shooting at us,” he added. Three people were injured: Pastor Siddique’s uncle, his driver, and a church member. The victims were shot in the arm, stomach, and leg. One of the attackers was caught, but the others managed to escape on foot, leaving behind five motorcycles, Pastor Siddique said.
The three injured men were rushed to the hospital. Arif Masih and Adnan Pervaiz were reported to be in stable condition, but Akash Patras was seriously wounded with a bullet wound to his abdomen.
According to church members, the attack appeared to be linked to an earlier incident on Christmas Eve, when Pastor Siddique had confronted a group of Muslims who were misbehaving with people at a church rally. The confrontation may have angered the group, leading them to plan the attack the next day.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shehrbano Naqvi assured, "We will make sure that everyone involved in this incident is arrested and held accountable." She also confirmed the arrest of five suspects and added, "We have increased police presence in the area to safeguard the Christian community."