WATCH: Muslims pray inside Peshawar church in show of solidarity

Tahir Ashrafi says attack on Pastor William Siraj was an attack on Pakistan, Christian community won’t be left alone

PESHAWAR:

Muslim scholars belonging to different schools of thought on Monday prayed inside a church of Peshawar in a show of solidarity with the Christian community and Pastor William Siraj, who was gunned down in the provincial capital a day earlier.

Speaking to media persons following the prayers, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Affairs Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was personally overseeing the matter and that the Christian community will not be left alone.

Muslim scholars belonging to different schools of thought on Monday prayed inside a church of Peshawar in a show of solidarity with Pastor William Siraj, who was killed in the provincial capital a day earlier#etribune pic.twitter.com/YpBr0GTWfL

— The Express Tribune (@etribune) January 31, 2022

"The state believes that a positive message in the form of today's prayers should be conveyed from the church," he added.

The scholar said, "We want to send out a message to the world that we are united," adding, "the attack on the pastor was an attack on the country."

He went on to add that the attack shouldn't be considered "an attack on a member of a minority, but an attack on a Pakistani citizen."

Also read: Priest killed, friend injured in Peshawar attack

Ashrafi observed that the martyred children of the Army Public School sacrificed their lives for peace. He termed the attack on the pastor an attempt to stir unrest on the basis of faith.

"The incident is an attempt to bring bad name to Pakistan internationally," the scholar remarked.

Meanwhile, the last rites of the slain pastor have been performed at the All Saints Church located inside the Kohati Gate in Peshawar. A large number of women, men and elders belonging to Christian community attended the funeral.

On Sunday, unidentified motorcyclists shot Pastor Siraj dead and injured one of his companions in Peshawar, sparking protests from the city’s religious minority community.

The incident, which took place in the Chamkani Ring Road area, also sparked fears of targeted killings and terrorism resurging in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa capital.