On November 16, an evangelist was shot dead by an unidentified man. The family of the slain man believes that an extremist Muslim group targeted the man because he was a Christian. 25-year-old Zahid Jameel said his father, Jameel Saawan, and a helper were closing up their cosmetics shop in Karachi on Wednesday morning when a young man suddenly appeared and shot his father - first in the neck, then in the face. The young killer then fled on a motorcycle along with two others who had been guarding him, Jameel said.
Jameel's father had not mentioned anything about receiving death threats in recent weeks, but he had previously received threats after saying two years ago that he would start a charitable organization to help poor Christians in the Essangri area of Karachi. "It is our firm belief that my father was killed because he was preaching about the Bible. There is no other reason," said Jameel. "It was not a robbery because the killer just walked up to my father and shot him."
Michael Javeed, a former member of the Sindh local council, said he has known the victim for years as they both hail from Quetta. "Sawaan was a very good person and was always eager to help others," said Javeed. "I also believe that he was killed by a religious group because he told me earlier that he had received threats from that quarter."
Source: Compass Direct News
