Pakistani Police Investigate Killing of Pastor

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

GUJRANWALA, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – Pakistani police have released security camera footage allegedly showing the main suspect in Friday’s assassination of Pastor Kamran Salamat, also known as Kamran Naaz, whose death at age 45 has shocked Pakistan’s embattled Christian community.

Pastor Kamran was shot at close range on December 5 outside his residence in Islam Colony, Sialkot Road, Gujranwala, while leaving with his daughter, Numeer, whom he intended to drive to college, confirmed Farooq Bashir, secretary general of the Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan.

Bashir said the pastor was hit in the right wrist, left ear, and lower abdomen when an unidentified motorcyclist opened fire at around 9:00 a.m. local time. Despite emergency treatment at Civil Hospital Gujranwala, he succumbed to his injuries, several Christian sources told Worthy News.

In a “remarkable act of courage,” the daughter struck the gunman with her father’s crutch, forcing him to flee. Police collected forensic evidence and retrieved CCTV footage, Bashir added.

A First Information Report (FIR) required to open a criminal investigation was registered under Section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The attacker — described as having a long beard — has been identified by the victim’s daughter, investigators said.

SURVIVED EARLIER ATTACK

The pastor had survived an extremist attack in Islamabad just two months earlier, when he was shot in the leg. Following his recovery, the Gospel preacher relocated to Gujranwala for safety, but continued ministering in Islamabad each weekend, Christians said.

Pastor Kamran was chairman of the Pastors Alliance Islamabad, overseeing some 200 pastors, and was “widely respected” as a defender of minority rights, according to his supporters.

He is survived by his widow, Salmina Kamran, and children Numeer, Arina, and Ariel.

Bashir, a High Court advocate, condemned the killing as “a direct attack on religious freedom, the rule of law, and the constitutional rights of minority communities.”

He demanded a transparent investigation, swift arrests, and accountability for any negligence or complicity. Local Christians say the assassination has triggered a new wave of fear among believers already targeted in previous killings and blasphemy-related violence.

COMMUNITY MOURNS, SEEKS JUSTICE

The British Asian Christian Association (BACA) visited the family, supported funeral expenses, and urged authorities to act decisively.

Pastor Kamran’s funeral was held on December 6 at Saint Paul Presbyterian Church, where a large crowd “honored his ministry and sacrifice,” Christians said.

Christian rights advocates warn that his murder fits a pattern of targeted attacks against church leaders in Pakistan.

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