By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – Christians in Pakistan’s Punjab province were mourning Monday after a suspected Muslim gunman killed a Christian rickshaw driver and father of four in the latest anti-Christian attack to grip the Islamic nation.

Afzal Masih, 42, was shot dead early Sunday around 1:30 a.m. local time near the city of Farooqabad while on his way to the Catholic Feast of the Nativity of Mary near a shrine in Mariamabad, which means the “City of Mary,” Christian investigators told Worthy News.

A second Christian man — Afzal’s younger brother — was critically injured in the attack, Christians said. They were among an estimated 2 million Pakistani Catholics attending the annual feast, according to organizers.

The First Information Report (FIR) by police, needed to launch a criminal investigation, said Masih and his family “were traveling in their own vehicle when a Muslim man on a motorcycle began zigzagging in front of them on the road near Farooqabad.”

When Masih stopped to confront him, a heated argument allegedly broke out.

“Shortly afterward, the pilgrims’ vehicle suffered a punctured tire, forcing them to stop at a local puncture repair shop,” confirmed Christian advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan.

OPENING FIRE

“It was there that the same motorcyclist returned and opened fire without warning, fatally shooting Afzal Masih and seriously injuring his younger brother,” the group told Worthy News.

The suspect was publicly named as Muhammad Waqas, but no arrests had been made by Monday, prompting “deep concern and anger among Pakistan’s Christian community,” said LEAD founder Mushtaq Sardar Gill.

It was not immediately clear whether Waqas had confessed to the crime.

“Many believe the attack was intended to intimidate and terrorize Christian pilgrims, particularly during a time of spiritual significance,” Gill explained to Worthy News.

Pastor Imran Amanat, director of LEAD Ministries Pakistan, said the killing “is not just an isolated crime” but “reflects a growing pattern of hate against peaceful Christians exercising their constitutional right to religious freedom.”

Gill, a human rights lawyer, urged the government to act swiftly. “We demand justice for Afzal Masih’s family and immediate protection for Christians across Pakistan, especially during religious events like the Mariamabad pilgrimage,” he said.

Despite constitutional protections for religious freedom, Pakistan’s Christian minority continues “to face systemic discrimination, mob violence, and legal persecution,” Gill noted.

SPREADING FEAR

Human rights advocates argue that alleged “police inaction” emboldens perpetrators and “creates a culture of impunity.”

“This killing is a message meant to spread fear,” said Pastor Amanat. “But we will not be silenced. We will mourn, we will pray, and we will demand accountability.”

LEAD Ministries urged the global Christian community to pray for Masih’s grieving family and the recovery of his injured brother while calling on international human rights groups to pressure the Pakistani government to protect religious minorities and ensure justice.

Pakistan ranks 7th on the Open Doors World Watch List of 50 nations where it says Christians face the most extreme persecution.

“By far, the most Christians live in Punjab Province, so many incidents of persecution, discrimination, and intolerance occur there,” said advocacy group Open Doors. “Next to Punjab, the province of Sindh is also notorious for being a centre for bonded labour, which affects many Christians,” it added.

Pakistanis identifying as Christians comprise nearly two percent of Pakistan’s mainly Muslim population of roughly 252 million people, according to several data sources.

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