Pakistan (MNN) — On April 11, attackers broke into a house and murdered two Pakistani Christians.
Pastor Adam, an FMI partner, had previously received death threats over his work with Christians from a Muslim background. The shooters killed his sister and her husband in the first bedroom they came across. As is common in Pakistan, this house held many members of the extended family. Pastor Adam and his wife lived there along with several of their adult children and their spouses.
The escape
Bruce Allen says Islamic zeal runs high during Ramadan, but the holiday may have prevented further violence. “They sleep during the day so it’s much easier to fast during daylight hours. They are awake at night, so essentially, nighttime is a party time. [That means] there were people from the neighborhood out in the streets, or at least awake at the time.
“Their neighbors’ movements caused the perpetrators to reevaluate if they wanted to do this in the middle of the night. So they fled the scene.”
Adam and his whole family have fled to another city. They can’t even return to bury the bodies or retrieve belongings. Allen says, “They’re in an area now where their tribal language is not the language that is predominantly spoken. Urdu, the national language, is spoken in this new area. While they do understand it, it’s not their native tongue.”
Pastor Adam
Adam helped extend FMI’s safehouse network in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Allen says, “Because of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, there are so many persecuted Christians in this area of the world now. Pastor Adam was one of the major forces in helping with this expansion, setting up the new facilities. He also discipled 70 men on a regular basis. He leads a church.”
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The header photo shows an Afghan Chrisitan family at an FMI safehouse in Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of FMI)
