Release International

Christian leaders in Karachi have initiated peace talks with local Muslims after an armed mob went on the rampage through a Christian community.

About 150 armed men raided a Christian settlement in the Pahar Ganj area on February 21, beating Christians, shooting at their homes and destroying their property over the course of two hours. Two churches – St Mary Church of Pakistan and the Interdenominational Calvary Church – were attacked and damaged.

'Seeing (the mob) approach the church, I closed the main gate,' local Christian Ashraf Pervaiz told UCA News. 'But they jumped over the gate... and opened fire on the church. I tried to stop them but they kept beating me with sticks and weapons.'

The raid was reportedly triggered by a row between a Muslim grocer and local Christians. A Christian boy was reportedly injured when the grocer hit him with an iron weight – after the boy picked up some of his fruit. A group of Christians nearby intervened to stop the child being hurt further – which apparently provoked the raid on their colony.

UCA News reports that Christian leaders have begun talks with local Muslims 'aimed at forming a joint committee and preventing similar attacks in future'. More than 200 Muslims and Christians met in Calvary Church the day after the raid to discuss what had happened.

(Source: UCA News)

• Pray for peace to be restored in Pahar Ganj.
• Thank God that local Christians and Muslims have met together to discuss ways to prevent religious intolerance spreading.

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