A man shot and wounded a Christian pastor [1] in eastern Pakistan, according to a police complaint released on Monday, just weeks after vigilante mobs in the area attacked churches and burnt down homes, displacing hundreds in the small religious minority community.
After conducting a church service this weekend in the eastern town of Jaranwala, Elizar Sandhu, a local priest, was stopped by a man who told him to recite a Muslim religious text, according to the information report filed to police. The man then shot the priest in the arm when the religious leader recited a Christian prayer in response. The priest is being treated in a nearby hospital.
A large contingent of armed paramilitary troopers has fanned out to restore calm in Jaranwala after violence roiled the area last month, but tensions have remained high and Christians displaced from their homes have said they are scared of more violence.
More than 120 people were arrested over the hours-long rampage by a mob that residents said consisted of people carrying iron rods, knives and sticks, and which set fire to churches and scores of homes.