Abducted Christian Asher Atray Murdered In Pakistan
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, Worthy News
LAHORE, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – Asher Atray, the young Christian lineman of Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) who was abducted last month, has been killed, Christians confirmed Tuesday.
Christians told Worthy News they are mourning the “brutal murder” of Atray, who was kidnapped on April 24 in the Batapur area of Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city.
“His body was recently recovered from a canal after Muhammad Zain, the main suspect, confessed to the killing,” said Christian human rights lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill.
The suspect “admitted to dumping both Asher and his motorcycle in the water to conceal the crime,” added Gill.
He said the advocacy group he founded, LEAD Ministries Pakistan, has strongly condemned the murder, calling it a “desperate and tragic act” that “highlights the ongoing threats faced by religious minorities in the country.”
Pastor Imran Amanat, a senior leader of LEAD Ministries, also expressed sorrow and outrage. “This is not just a crime against one young man—it is a crime against the values of justice and humanity,” he said in a statement sent to Worthy News. “Asher was a dedicated worker and an innocent soul. We demand justice and stronger protections for Christians in Pakistan.”
URGING PRAYERS
Christians have linked the killing by the suspected radical Muslim to his faith in Christ.
Pastor Imran said he had urged “the Christian community and global supporters to pray” for Asher’s grieving family. “Our hearts are broken. We stand with his family and ask for your prayers during this time of unimaginable loss,” he stressed.
LEAD Ministries asked Pakistani authorities “to ensure a transparent investigation and hold the perpetrator fully accountable.”
The tragic case has renewed calls for “improved legal safeguards for Pakistan’s Christian population, who continue to face discrimination and violence” in the mainly Muslim nation, Gill said.
The killing of Asher, who was in his late 30s, comes just days after another Christian young man, Gulfam Masih, 19, died of gunshot wounds in the Ghulam Muhammad Abad area of the city of Faisalabad, according to police documents seen by Worthy News.
Gill told Worthy News at the time that Muslims riding a motorcycle, who apparently knew the teenager was a Christian, “started to use abusive words.”
FURING PISTOL
Soon after, one person, named publicly as Rana Ejaz, fired his pistol, hitting Masih, who was also on a motorcycle with his uncle, said Gill and police.
Soon after, the Christian teenager died in the hospital, Worthy News learned Saturday.
LEAD Ministries said it is “actively engaged in advocacy for persecuted Christians and is also involved in church planting across Pakistan.”
Through legal aid, public awareness campaigns, and establishing faith communities, “LEAD seeks to protect, strengthen, and uplift Christians facing systemic oppression.”
Pakistan ranks 8th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations where advocacy group Open Doors says Christians face most persecution for their faith.
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