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Two Christian priests, Pastor Patrick and Pastor William Siraj, were shot dead by unknown bike-borne assailants on Sunday at Ring Road, Peshawar.
The priests were returning from their Sunday prayers, reported local media. Pastor Anwar Fazl, Chairman Aijaq TV & Eternal Life Church condemned this heinous act and asked the authorities to arrest the accused otherwise large scale protests will be carried out by the Christian community in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the most senior bishop in the Church of Pakistan, Azad Marshall, condemned the attack on a priest on Sunday urged the Pakistani government to give justice and protection to Christians, reported DW News. Taking to Twitter Marshall said, "We demand justice and protection of Christians from the Government of Pakistan." Police said that they were looking for the assailants using CCTV video. According to authorities, William Siraj, 75, was killed instantly in the attack on the city's ring road. His colleague Pastor Patrick was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries where he succumbed and a third cleric was uninjured in the car. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the shooting. In 2013, a double suicide bombing outside a church in Peshawar killed hundreds of people, making it one of Pakistan's worst assaults against Christians. In Pakistan, minorities like Hindus, Christians, Ahmaddiyas, and Shiites are frequently harassed and persecuted. (ANI)
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