Islamabad. Atrocities against religious minorities are not stopping in Pakistan. The latest incident is from Punjab province, where a priest was shot dead in broad daylight. This attack has put the entire Christian community in panic. ‘The Voice of Pakistan Minority’, a leading organization working for minority rights, has strongly reacted to this murder, saying that this incident brings to the fore the horrific reality of insecurity and increasing fundamentalism of religious minorities in the country. The scary thing is that this same priest was attacked two months ago also, but he had survived.
This time the attackers targeted him and killed him. Pastor Kamran is survived by his wife Salmina and three children. The human rights organization raised questions on the negligence of the administration and said that the hope for justice in Pakistan is weakening day by day. According to the organization, on December 5, Pastor Kamran had left home to drop his daughter to college. As soon as they moved towards the car, two miscreants who came on a bike fired bullets at them from close range. He was immediately taken to the district hospital of Gujranwala, where he died during treatment. This attack once again raises serious concerns about Pakistan’s law and order and security of minorities.
The pain of this incident is deep because Pastor Kamran had dedicated his life to serving humanity. In October, he was fired upon by some radicals in Islamabad, in which he was injured. His life was saved then, but he could not survive the second attack. This clearly shows that the attackers are neither afraid of the law nor does the administration have control over their activities. The organization said the killing has further heightened the fear already present within the Christian community. This is not an isolated incident, but part of a series of increasing attacks on minorities in recent years. The people of the community are forced to live under the shadow of constant insecurity and violence. Even though the police have started the investigation, the hope of getting justice is considered very slim due to the apathy of the local administration. The murder of Pastor Kamran once again shows to what extent religious minorities have been marginalized in Pakistan and their security has become a serious question.
