Over 150 Muslims might be accused with murder of Christian man
Police in Pakistan have registered a murder case against between 150 and 200 Muslims following the death of Christian shopkeeper Pervez Masih on 14 February in Lahore, Barnabas Fund reports.
According to the report of Barnabas Fund,
The incident happened in the city’s LDA Quarter, Walton Road, after a group of Muslims was involved in an altercation the previous evening with Pervez at the games shop he ran. The dispute, which was reported to police by Pervez’s family, was apparently settled following the intervention of mainly Christian members of the local community.
The next morning, however, between 150 and 200 Muslims went to the shop armed with guns, clubs and iron bars. A member of the mob hit Pervez with a brick, causing a critical head injury. Pervez, who was in his late 20s, died in hospital.
Large numbers of police officers have since been sent to the area to calm tensions among the local community, where Christians are a minority.
Police Superintendent Esa Sukhera said, “We responded timely, engaged the elders of the Christian community and defused the tension.”
A team from the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which provides legal aid to Christians with support from Barnabas Fund, is investigating the killing and is helping Pervez’s family following the funeral, held on 15 February.
Source: Persecution.org