Presbyterian Pastor Eleazar Sindhu, also known as Vicky, survived an assassination attempt after he refused to recite the Islamic declaration of faith.
Pastor Vicky, accompanied by colleague John Masih, was returning home to Rehmat Town after conducting a church service in the nearby village of Kariwala.
During a break, a man confronted him, demanding that he recite the Kalma – the Islamic declaration of faith. Instead, Pastor Vicky recited the Apostle’s Creed, which angered the man.
The perpetrator fired a shot at Pastor Vicky and fled the scene. The pastor was transported to the hospital for medical treatment. He is now in stable condition.
The motive behind the attack was Pastor Vicky’s decision to erase Islamic writings from the front wall of the Satyana Road Presbyterian Church.
Inscriptions on the wall included derogatory remarks directed at him, reading “Vicky ملعون” (Maloon), which translates to “execrable” in English.
The incident has caused fear and anxiety among the local Christian community, raising concerns about their safety. Pastor Vicky disclosed that at least four churches of their denomination had already been destroyed in Jaranwala.
In a video message, Pastor Vicky clarified that the inscriptions were removed by Muslim police officers and not by the church members.
Pastor Vicky recognized the assailant who shot him. He said he was the same individual who had threatened him a few days earlier.
According to the Center for Legal Aid Assitance and Settlement (CLAAS-UK), the incident highlighted the persistent risks faced by religious minorities in the region. It followed the August 16th attack in Jaranwala, where at least 25 churches were targeted, and false blasphemy allegations were lodged against Christians.
Nasir Saeed, Director of CLAAS-UK, condemned the assassination attempt and called for justice against those responsible for defacing the church wall and targeting him.
He emphasized the government’s duty to protect vulnerable religious minorities and urged robust measures to counter the escalating hostility directed at Christians.
Saeed described these incidents as part of a broader plan seeking to eliminate Christianity from Pakistan, referring to it as a gradual genocide of Christians. He stressed the need for swift, unyielding action to prevent irreversible outcomes.
The Christian leadership had supported Quaid-e-Azam’s vision of a separate Pakistani state with equal citizenship rights, but Christians have never been treated as equals in Pakistan.
They are now being coerced to flee, with their towns and churches set ablaze, yet justice remains elusive, according to Saeed.
He urged Pakistan to make a decisive choice between upholding a democratic structure or embracing a theocratic model for the nation’s future.
