By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
LAHORE, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A young Christian man working as an assistant lineman at Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) remained missing Sunday after he was abducted in the Pakistani province of Punjab, activists supporting his family told Worthy News.
Ashir Atray disappeared last month, April 24, from the Bata Pur area of the city of Lahore, sources said, adding to concerns
over the safety of the Christian minority in Pakistan, a mainly Islamic nation.
Worthy News obtained a so-called “First Information Report (FIR No. 1072/25)” filed at the local police station based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, Hameed Madih Atray.
Yet, “Despite the legal filing, the family claims there has been no meaningful progress in the investigation,” said Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of LEAD Ministries Pakistan, a prominent Christian advocacy group.
“According to the family, a notorious group allegedly led by a man named Muhammad Zain claimed responsibility for Ashir’s abduction,” Gill told Worthy News.
The suspect reportedly stated that he “will not return alive no matter what is done.”
These “chilling words have sparked panic within the Christian community and raised fears of religiously motivated violence,” added Gill, who himself was forced to flee with his family due to death threats. Footage obtained by Worthy News showed scores of Christians protesting against the abduction.
Gill told Worthy News that the abduction “is a stark reminder of the precarious position Christians occupy in Pakistan’s socio-political landscape. We fear for Ashir’s life and demand immediate action.”
Pastor Imran Amanat, director of Director of LEAD Ministries Pakistan, urged authorities “to urgently intervene, recover Ashir safely, and bring those responsible to justice.”
He added, “This is not just a case of abduction. It is a reflection of the systemic marginalization and targeted harassment faced by Christians in Pakistan at the hands of extremist elements.”
Gill said he has issued “a heartfelt appeal for nationwide prayer and international awareness,” urging both local authorities and global human rights to help free the missing Christian.
Pakistan’s Christian community, “often relegated to low-income jobs and exposed to discrimination and violence,” faces significant challenges in Pakistan, Gill noted. “Blasphemy laws and societal bias frequently leave them vulnerable.”
Several Christians have been prosecuted and killed over what activists have called trumped-up charges of blasphemy against Islam.
“As Ashir Atray’s family continues to knock on every door for justice, civil society waits to see whether the rule of law will prevail — or whether yet another Christian life will be lost in silence,” Gill warned.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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