Pakistan Pastor Murder Case Takes Dramatic Turn As Police Name Wife, Lover As “Masterminds” (Worthy News Investigation)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – The murder of a Pakistani pastor has taken a dramatic turn, with police saying his wife and her alleged lover were the “masterminds” behind the killing, which investigators say was carried out by hired assassins.

Pastor Kamran Naaz — whose surname is also spelled Naz — was shot dead on December 5 outside his home in the eastern Pakistani city of Gujranwala, Worthy News reported earlier.

Naaz, who headed the Presbyterian Christian Church in Pakistan, was killed while bringing his daughter to school, added Farooq Bashir, secretary general of the Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan.

The two gunmen were later killed in a police encounter, according to officials and Christian investigators. Police records indicate the suspects were paid about 3.3 million Pakistani rupees — nearly 12,000 U.S. dollars — to carry out the assassination.

POLICE CITE PHONE RECORDS AND ALLEGED CONSPIRACY

While the case was initially treated as an act of Islamic extremism, Christian investigators told Worthy News that pastor Naaz’s wife, Salmina, had allegedly been in contact with her lover, businessman Najam-ul-Saqib, and that the two plotted the murder together.

“Mobile phone records revealed that both had been conspiring for several years to eliminate Pastor Kamran Naaz, whom they saw as the only obstacle in their relationship,” said Christian human rights lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill in an interview with Worthy News.

Gill, who founded advocacy group LEAD Ministries and closely followed the case, cited police records showing extensive text-message exchanges between the two suspects.

Investigators said the pair allegedly developed a secret relationship and planned to marry after the killing.

PASTOR WAS FATHER OF THREE, KILLED DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

Police allege the suspects intended to kill the 45-year-old pastor and father of three during the Christmas season to attract international attention before fleeing the country.

Both suspects have since been detained and have not publicly responded to the allegations ahead of an expected trial, Christian sources said.

Gill also questioned why the alleged gunmen were able to operate freely despite having serious criminal records in Pakistan’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The killing followed a previous assassination attempt in late September, when Pastor Naaz was injured while traveling from Gujranwala to Islamabad to lead a Sunday worship service.

PRIOR THREATS LINKED TO FAITH AND CHURCH ACTIVITIES

Gill told Worthy News it remains unclear whether the two attacks were connected. He noted that the pastor had long faced threats from Islamic extremists due to his Christian faith, church construction efforts, and support for Afghan refugees.

“Pastor Kamran Naaz had faced threats years earlier in Islamabad related to church construction and other Christian activities and was forced to relocate multiple times,” Gill said.

“Ironically, the danger that ultimately took his life did not come from outsiders, but from betrayal within his own home,” he added.

While the pastor’s wife has been named among the suspects, Gill stressed it remains unclear whether she was manipulated or coerced into allegedly participating in the crime.

PAKISTAN’S WORLD WATCH LIST RANKING RAISES CONCERNS

“The case highlights a disturbing pattern of persecution and exploitation faced by Christians in Pakistan, particularly women,” Gill said. “Many live under poverty, social marginalization, limited education, and emotional isolation, making them highly vulnerable to manipulation.”

Pakistan ranks 7th on the World Watch List published by Christian advocacy group Open Doors, which tracks the most dangerous countries for Christians.

The organization says believers face systematic discrimination, false blasphemy accusations, forced conversions, and violence, often with little legal protection.

Christians account for about 1.3 percent of Pakistan’s population, totaling an estimated 3.5 to 4 million people in a nation of more than 240 million.

CALL FOR PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE CHRISTIANS

“Outsiders can exploit trust, offering false promises of security or opportunity, and pressure victims into actions they would not freely choose,” Gill warned.

He said such exploitation “not only harms individuals but is increasingly used to destabilize Christian families and communities, turning personal vulnerability into a tool of persecution.”

“This tragedy underscores the urgent need to protect vulnerable Christians in Pakistan,” Gill stressed.

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