On the early morning of July 5, Roman Catholic priest, Fr. George Ibrahim was gunned down by six assailants in the courtyard of his home. The murder came after Fr. Ibrahim had faced death threats since the school he ran had been turned over by the government to the control of the church. According to the priest's cook Pervez Pyara who witnessed the shooting, Ibrahim had received threats from the former principal of a girls' school, Shahzina Sadique, whose husband is reported to be president of the local chapter of Anjum Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a banned terrorist organization.
Despite the testimony of Pyara that Fr. Ibrahim had been specifically targeted, police have arrested three local Christians and a Muslim, saying that Ibrahim was killed in a robbery attempt. The three Christians, Sharif Masih, Naimat Masih, and Aslam Masih, as well as Mohammed Afzel, a Muslim repeat-offender burglar, deny any involvement in the crime. There have been no formal charges, though they have been held since July 9.
On September 4, the Catholic Church's National Justice and Peace Commission (NJPC) filed a petition on behalf of those arrested. The presiding judge has ordered the police to reinvestigate. Speaking to Compass Direct, a Catholic Church source said, "Everyone knows who is the person responsible for this murder. There are known groups of fundamentalist Muslims behind this, but the government and the police are afraid of them."
Pray for justice for those arrested and that those responsible for this murder will be convicted. Pray that the police and courts will be willing to act with fairness, in spite of pressure and threats from powerful organizations.
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