Essa Nagri - Walls and Wars

Christians in the Pentecostal church at Essa Nagri

Desecrated bibles

Damaged building and furniture

Many of our articles have featured Essa Nagri, the Christian slum area in Karachi.  This is a community under siege.  Last month on 18th October a group of Taliban terrorists attacked and desecrated a Pentecostal church, firing gun shots in the air to keep Christians from coming to put a stop to their activity.  Church windows were smashed, the donations box was looted and about £269 stolen, and bibles and hymn books were desecrated - taken out, torn and trampled and danced upon.  (So many attacks go on Essa Nagri that in researching this story we found we appear to have missed a story in June about another two attacks on churches in Essa Nagri, when a Seventh Day Adventist church and St Luke's church were attacked.  A Christian called Aftab Bhatti was shot in the leg trying to defend the Adventist church.)

The attack happened on a night where there was a power black out, a common problem in Pakistan.  The attack on the 18th attack came 10 days after an attack by a Muslim mob on the nearby Catholic St Francis church during a protest about similar blackouts.  In a rare move, the police actually charged the mob under blasphemy laws, but we don't know if any individuals were actually arrested.  We aren't holding our breaths on that one!

The Taliban are routinely attacking churches and Ahmadi places of worship in Karachi.   They have been entering Essa Nagri with heavy machine guns and shooting Christians, stealing from shops, and demanding money from shopkeepers.  In addition, gangs are kidnapping Christian girls and boys to sexually abuse and use in the sex-slave trade.  A local tribal council has enforced sharia fines on the Christian community for daring to defend themselves.  The police have done nothing.

The most recent attacks came after the local Christians in the slum spent millions of rupees (1 million rupees is about £649) building a wall all around their area for protection.  However, this time the police did do something - on 17th October they marched en masse armed with tear-gas to tear down the wall that protected the Christians from the Taliban shooters and extortionists, ostensibly because the wall blocked the access to a mosque, thus allowing the militants in to loot the Pentecostal church the very next day and continue oppressing the Christian community.

Sources 1 and 2

5th Christian shot dead in Essa Nagri

Body of Zulifiqar Masih

At 10:30pm on 22nd September, there was yet another fatal attack on the Christians of Essa Nagri in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.  This time the victim was Zulifiqar Masih, a young man of 30.  The attacks are being perpetrated by Muslim extremists (Taliban) who target the Christian slum, using various weapons including machine guns.  There were also fatalities and woundings due to police firing on peacefully protesting Christians
Victims
29th August                  Fasil Masih
12th September             Yousaf Masih
15th September             Rafi Masih,and Nasir Masih, and several Christians injured
22nd September            Zulifiqar Masih.

RIP.
Local activists are again calling for prayer for the Christians of Essa Nagri

Christians machine-gunned in Karachi

Nasir Masih

Rafi Masih

These are two most recent fatalities of the slow massacre of Christians in Essa Nagri, Karachi.  According to local human rights workers, heavy machine guns and advanced weaponry were used in the attack.  Naturally, the community is even more depressed and distraught, even though an FIR has been lodged, as they don't expect any action, just like there has been none in the last two fatal attacks this month, due to police being intimidated by the strength of the terrorists in the area.
Liaquat Munawir of MASS called for police to search the area around Essa Nagri to seek out the perpetrators.  He is also calling on all human rights and Christian groups as well as governments and the UN to put pressure on the Pakistani Government to protect the Christians in Essa Nagri.

Wilson Chowdhry of the BPCA said;

"The lawlessness in Karachi is already well documented, yet in recent weeks it seems that what little rule of law existed in the region, has now been completely removed. Suffering Christians of Essa Nagri seem to be the worst hit community in the area.  The large amount of extortion money that has been exacted from them has left many penniless and homeless and others simply biding time till the same fate befalls them.  Unless the government intervenes to assist this beleaguered community, I fear that just like the former population of Jews living in Karachi, Christians will be forced to flee entirely.  Their their possessions and property will simply be looted and usurped by the avarice Muslim mobs already calling for their complete annihilation."

Source - Pastors / Human Rights workers in Karachi

Breaking - 3 Christian boys killed in Essa Nagri

News report (not English)

Update :

It now appears that there were two fatalities and four seriously wounded when Muslim extremists opened fire in Essa Nagri.  This is the third attack within about a week at the location, with a total of four dead, and many injured.  According to local pastors, there is still absolutely no support from the police, political leaders and virtually all the media.  He calls for prayer for the Christians of Essa Nagri.

Source - local pastor by FB

Christians shot dead, chocolate teapot police

Map of Karachi showing Essa Nagri

We have received news from Karachi that yesterday yet another Christians was shot dead in Essa Nagri.  MASS have told us that at 4:20am on 12th September, Muslim terrorists again entered the Christian slum community of Essa Nagri and opened fire, killing Yousaf Masih, son of Inyat Masih.    The inhabitants are depressed and disturbed as the police, law enforcement agencies do nothing to stop these repeated and continuous attacks on the colony.  They are calling for prayer for the tormented Christians of the region.  We reported on recent events where police tear-gassed and shot Christians resulting in one death and several injuries.  

Sources  1, and MASS reports by Facebook

In addition, several weeks ago a Muslim gang in Faisalabad attacked and shot Yaqoob Masih, a Christian.  He has now died of his injuries in hospital.  His family are protesting because, once again, the police have taken no action against the Muslim gang.  

Source 2

Sexual abuse of Christian boys and girls in Essa Nagri

Map of Karachi showing Essa Nagri

While researching the background of attacks, extortion and intimidation in the Christian slum of Essa Nagri that led to the current events and violence the BPCA found an article from January describing the situation that the Christians of Essa Nagri and other Christian areas of Karachi face.  Because of their minority status, they are especially vulnerable to abuse of various kinds.  Activists of rival political parties extort money from them, they are caught in the middle of vicious political battles for land, kidnap and forcible conversion of both young and adults is common, and even Members of State Assemblies face death threats and have nowhere to turn.  But a further element is extortion by sexual abuse of children.  As dusk falls, all children are whisked away out of sight, with good reason.  For at least a year, children are being abducted and then abused at a nearby building known as the Meekasa Apartments.

A resident of Essa Nagri, Peter Bhatti, reports that the children are filmed being abused, and then the families extorted for money.  If they don't pay, the videos will be circulated.  One woman, Shakila Anjum, had her two teenage sons abducted and abused in such a manner.  She got calls warning her not to tell the police.  The families have no choice but to raise the money, which is difficult for the already impoverished residents.  Thus the Christian community is deliberately kept in enforced poverty by abuse, extortion and murder by the extremists / criminals (is there much of a difference in Pakistan - as the saying goes, the bigger the beard, the bigger the crook).  And the police and society do nothing or aid it.  Silence is complicity!

Source

Police and army shoot and gas Christians in Karachi, one dead, pastor critically injured

Abbassi Shaheed Hospital - shot pastor taken here

Further to our recent story about the situation in Essa Nagri, Karachi, the situation has now escalated out of control, with riots and fighting in several Christian areas of Karachi, and the police refusing to arrest the Muslim violent mobs but instead firing tear gas and live rounds at the peaceful Christian demonstrations, killing one and leaving two Christians, including a pastor, critically injured and many others injured, with the police arresting at least a dozen peaceful Christians.   We have latest details and some more background.  

To recap, the story as we told it was that the whole Christian community had been charged with blasphemy by the local Jirga - council of elders - and fined. Things were already tense.  Two Christian boys  

The background is that Muslim extremists - described by local sources as Pashto speaking (which may indicate Taliban affiliation) - have been intimidating the Christian community and extorting money from Christian shopkeepers for 3 years - demanding an illegal tax known as bhatti.  They are coming into the Essa Nagri Christian enclave and firing at Christian homes when Christians are paying late.  This has been repeatedly reported to the police and the army rangers unit, but they took no action - what a surprise!  

The Christian community had organized young men to act as guards to deal with the constant drug-pushing, robberies, shooting and intimidation by Islamic extremists who acted in collaboration with local police, local sources say.  Our original article concerned tensions resulting from two Christian young boys who beat two Muslim boys who were hanging around or trying to rob Christians in Essa Nagri.  However, things further escalated when at around 7:15pm 29h August, two of the fundamentalists entered the Essa Nagri  slum and demanded money from Faisal Masih.  He refused and they shot him dead on the spot.  Several of the young Christian guards managed to apprehend the two murderers.  Initially it appears the police arrested the two Muslims.  In the morning, however, the local Pashtun community started to mob the police station, so the robbers were released, and the two Christians were arrested on charges of 'maltreating respectable Muslims'.   Two activists, Raja Yousuf Bhatti, and Liaquat Munawir, who is the leader of the Social Justice group MASS, went to the police station to ask for the release of the Christians.  The police promptly arrested them and then demanded that the Christians pay 100,000 rupees to the Muslim 'victims' before they could be released.  

At some point in the situation, the Christian community of Essa Nagri gathered to protest about this and the Muslim mobs attacking them.  They blocked  next-door Hassan Square for several hours.  The police and the army rangers chose not to arrest the Muslim attackers, but instead fired on the Christians and launched tear gas against them.  Pastor Cornelius was hit in the spine by a police or army ranger bullet as he crossed the road to enter Essa Nagri, and Shahzad Riaz was also critically injured.  An unknown number of other Christians were injured, but sources say 'many'.  In addition, the police arrested over a dozen more Christians who were protesting against the Muslim mob attacks.  

A local Karachi pastor has advised that there is also confirmed reports of fighting in another big Christian area in Karachi, in the Pahar Gunj area, with attacks by Pashtuns.  He calls for prayer for the church in Karachi and says the situation is very serious now, as now it will turn into a religious / blasphemy case.  

Sources : 1 and two local Christian pastors via FB

Gun attack on church, Christian teenager drowned, Islamicists extort money from Christian community

Location of Essa Nagri (City of Jesus) in Karachi

Although the world's media is focusing on the case of Ramsha, the young girl arrested for 'blasphemy' amidst a cleric-incited hate mob demanding she be burnt alive, this is but one case among many.  Here we give several more recent visits.

BPCA has received reports that at 2am today, 21st August unknown gunman sprayed St Matthews church, in the Pehlwan goth Gulistan-e- Jahur area of Karachi leaving the local Christians in fear and the front of the church damaged.  According to local sources, there have been several attacks on Christian properties and churches in the area in the past year or so.

Source

In addition, in Islamabad, there a reports that a teenage Christian boy called Waiz Masih, believed to be 14 years old, was killed near a police station.  He was sitting by the Lai Canal when some Muslim boys started arguing with him about religion and then started beating him until he was unconscious, and then threw him into the canal, where he drowned.  His body was recovered on Sunday August 19th.

From the same source there is news of a 20 year old named Salman Masih in the Gahindra District of Shaikhupura has been shot and badly wounded by a neighbour, Mohammed Khalil, who had apparently been aggressive against Mr Masih, telling him to get his foot of his grounds.  (Many Pakistan Muslims believe that Christians and Hindus are unclean and dirty, and any contact is defiling).

Source

In addition, further to our recent article about death threats to a Christian rights activist, in Karachi, we have now received news from a Karachi church leader that on the 13th August a Jirga (local council of elders) accused the whole Essa Nagri Christian community (Essa Nagri is the largest Christian slum / community in Karachi) of blasphemy and along with threats imposed a fine on this impoverished community of over £670 and two goats.  This tactic is one being used by Islamicists the world over, a way of enforcing the concept of jizya - tax on 'unbelievers'.  It is one way that these terror-related extremist groups get their funds to operate.

Source - senior church leader in Karachi