Christians are facing significant persecution for their faith in Pakistan, with recent incidents reported by the British Asian Christian Association (BACA) including arrests, robbery, rape, forced abortion and murder.
In one incident, 30-year-old Marshal Masih, from Lahore, was shot 16 times in front of his wife and three children, and died of excessive bleeding due to a delayed response from emergency services.
The shopkeeper, who was the sole earner for his family, was shot all over his body in a final escalation of a dispute with his Muslim neighbour, who, with others, had frequently gone up onto Masih’s roof and fired shots.