Fourteen armed assailants attacked the Christian school, damaged the vehicles, and tortured the students and teachers in the Punjab province of Pakistan last Friday. Global Passion School has been in operation since 2018 and offers free education to Christian youth in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The attackers intended to extort the school for money, which would have occurred every month. The school officials were given two days to collect the money, or else the men would return and kill them. Before they left, they assaulted students, abused the female staff, and damaged the vehicles in the parking lot.
In a video posted to social media, the principal of the school illustrated the dangerous reality of being a Christian in Pakistan, “Many of our religious and political leaders while visiting other countries, say that minorities and Christians are safe in Pakistan. After what happened to us today, I will never say that. Our security guard can’t even walk now. Our community is threatened to keep silent.” He goes on to describe the persecution from the community, “A few among the neighboring Muslim community have always tried to stop us from praying. They literally demanded stopping the noise… We want to be treated equally. Please pray for us.”
Only three of the fourteen men have been arrested. Just as the principal described, Pakistan is not a friendly place for Christians, as they are subjected to violence and abuse across the country. We pray for our Christian family in Pakistan.