Friday, October 7, 2011 (10:47 pm)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife
Pakistan Christians have faced previous attacks, including against churches.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian Pakistani politician accused security forces on Friday, October 7, of refusing to detain Muslim fighters who allegedly shot dead one Christian and injured over 20 others in Pakistan's Punjab province.
Nazir S. Bhatti, the president of the Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC) party, told BosNewsLife that local police also declined to investigate the October 5 violence in Chak 134-16/L village, in Punjab's southern Mian Channu area of Khanewal District.
"The First Information Report (FIR)" [from the survivors] was [so far] not registered with the local police station," he confirmed in an interview.
The murdered Christian, identified as Sabir Masih, was gunned down and "two dozen Christians including children, men and women were seriously injured" when Muslims attacked Christians "to grab a piece of land bought for a social project", he added.
CHURCH PURCHASED LAND
Local Christians said a local church purchased the land to build an orphanage, but an influential Muslim allegedly hired "Muslim gangs to use force" to grab this land.
It was difficult to reach police for comment and it was not clear which group had opened fire on the Christian villagers.
Bhatti complained that "Muslims were pressing police to register the case as sectarian riots among two communities instead of an attack by Muslims [against Christians]."
He said the PCC and other advocacy groups have "condemned this attack and demand the arrest of the killers." Read the rest on:
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