Pastor laid to rest amid sobs, tears in Peshawar

The last rites of Pastor William Siraj, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants yesterday, were performed at the All Saints Church located inside the Kohati Gate in Peshawar on Monday.

A large number of women, men and elders belonging to Christian community attended the funeral.

The gloomy atmosphere was witnessed during the funeral as the minority community bid farewell to their religious leader. They demanded the authorities concerned to severely punish the culprits involved in the assassination.

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.

It is worth noting here that previously, police personnel as well as some members of religious minorities have been targeted in the city.

According to officers at the Chamkani Police Station, Pastor Siraj, a resident of Kohati, was returning home via Ring Road with his friend Patrick, when two unidentified persons on a motorcycle approached his car near Madina Market and opened fire at him.

The priest could not survive the attack while Patrick sustained injuries.

As soon as the incident was reported, a heavy contingent of police rushed to the spot. Later, after postmortem examination, they handed over the deceased’s body to his heirs.

A police investigation team gathered evidence from the crime scene and recorded statements of eyewitnesses.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2022.