GOJRA, Pakistan - After an outbreak of violence against a Christian community in Gojra in the Toba Tek Singh district of northern Pakistan earlier this month, Operation Blessing is partnering with the American Center of Law and Justice (ACLJ) to provide emergency relief to 60 families displaced by the attacks.
14 people were killed and more than 300 people have been left homeless after their homes were set on fire by Muslim extremists in what many are calling the worst case of violence against Christians in Pakistan’s history. The raid came days after a similar attack in a Korianwala village 4 miles away, where 45 homes were looted and burned.
During the attack on Gojra, families were forced to flee as their homes were ransacked and then set on fire.
“Women were without their dupattas [head coverings] and without shoes. They were wailing [over] their missing ones. They were saying their men had been killed in the fire,” one witness said.
More than 300 people have been left homeless and are sheltering in a nearby church compoound. OBI is providing two warm meals a day for the families for one week, as well as electric fans to keep cool.
Many have sought shelter in a nearby church compound, but a few are still living in their destroyed homes—bereft of any personal belongings and without food.
OBI is providing two warm meals a day for the families for one week as the situation stabilizes and the Pakistani government responds. Electric fans have also been purchased for each family to help them cope with the intense heat. The ACLJ’s in-country partner organization, the Community Development Initiative, will help distribute the relief.
“OBI is glad to partner with the ACLJ,” said David Darg, OBI’s director of international disaster relief. “Together, we can offer an amazing service of relief and advocacy for [these] suffering communities.”
14 people were killed and more than 300 people have been left homeless after their homes were set on fire by Muslim extremists in what many are calling the worst case of violence against Christians in Pakistan’s history. The raid came days after a similar attack in a Korianwala village 4 miles away, where 45 homes were looted and burned.
During the attack on Gojra, families were forced to flee as their homes were ransacked and then set on fire.
“Women were without their dupattas [head coverings] and without shoes. They were wailing [over] their missing ones. They were saying their men had been killed in the fire,” one witness said.
More than 300 people have been left homeless and are sheltering in a nearby church compoound. OBI is providing two warm meals a day for the families for one week, as well as electric fans to keep cool.
Many have sought shelter in a nearby church compound, but a few are still living in their destroyed homes—bereft of any personal belongings and without food.
OBI is providing two warm meals a day for the families for one week as the situation stabilizes and the Pakistani government responds. Electric fans have also been purchased for each family to help them cope with the intense heat. The ACLJ’s in-country partner organization, the Community Development Initiative, will help distribute the relief.
“OBI is glad to partner with the ACLJ,” said David Darg, OBI’s director of international disaster relief. “Together, we can offer an amazing service of relief and advocacy for [these] suffering communities.”
(Operation Blessing)
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