Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - Two Christians, Sohail Johnason and Yousaf Kamran, according to a video in the possession of the police, are accused of being responsible for the lynching of two suspected terrorists, which took place shortly after the attack against two churches in Lahore on March 15. According to local sources of Fides, the two are among the approximately 150 persons detained by agents and remain under arrest, after the police, in about a week of investigations, made several raids to identify those responsible for the lynching.
As Fides learns, the agents have the videos shot with mobile phones by eyewitnesses present in those tragic moments. The act of frustration and revenge carried out by Christians has been widely condemned by political and religious leaders. "But now all the innocent people who have been stopped have to be released", says to Fides Haroon Barkat Masih, head of the "Masihi Foundation", present in Pakistan with aid projects and development of Christian minorities. "It is right to bring to justice the perpetrators, but everyone has to be treated in the same way" he notes. The lawyers of the Foundation have filed applications for bail for many innocent people, but so far these demands have not been accepted. In the district of Youhanabad people are still in shock. Sohail Johnson, one of the alleged perpetrators, was the founder and head of the NGO "Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan", which aimed to help Christians in difficulty. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 25/03/2015)
