- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Chandrashekar Bhat
A CHRISTIAN priest was shot dead and another wounded by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar city, police said, describing it as a “terrorist act”.
Bishop William Siraj, who was shot multiple times, died on the spot, while Father Naeem Patrick was wounded in the attack which took place when the duo was returning home from Sunday mass, police said.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest on Pakistan’s small Christian minority that has often been targeted by militants in recent years.
Peshawar police officer Abbas Ahsan said two attackers were involved in the incident.
A team of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Peshawar police was formed to probe the “terrorist act”, he said.
Police said they were reviewing the CCTV footage to locate the attackers, who escaped on motorcycles.
“Evidence is being collected from the scene of the crime and CCTV cameras are also being checked,” police said in a statement.
“William Siraj was a padre at a church within Chamkani police station limits,” it said.
The body was shifted to hospital for conducting an autopsy while further investigation was underway, it added
A spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital said the injured priest was discharged after being provided medical treatment for minor injuries.
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council and special representative of the prime minister for interfaith harmony and Middle East, condemned the attack on the Christian priests.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mehmud Khan said the perpetrators would not be able to escape the clutches of the law.
Khan also ordered the best medicare facilities for the injured Father.
According to the 2017 census, Christians make up the second largest religious minority in Pakistan after Hindus.
(PTI)
