Police in Pakistan’s national capital, Islamabad, have launched an investigation after finding the bodies of three people — a Christian man, his teenage son, and daughter — inside their locked home under mysterious circumstances. The bodies of 42-year-old Akram Paul, his 18-year-old son Shabbir, and 15-year-old daughter Neha were discovered on Sept. 10 inside their residence in Rimsha Colony, according to police inspector Muhammad Aslam of the city’s Sabzi Mandi Police Station. “We are examining all possibilities, including murder and accidental death. No detail is being overlooked,” the officer told UCA News. Police found the bodies after neighbours alerted them, he said.
Quoting police sources, Pakistan daily The Nation reported that the victims had been deceased for approximately two weeks. Their hands were tied, and there were multiple wounds on their bodies. The victims were possibly assaulted with sharp weapons. The door of their house was locked from the outside, and Akram’s motorbike, which was parked outside, was stolen, the news report said.
Pastor Samuel Masih, who leads Paul’s New Life Church in the area, told UCA News that Paul converted to Christianity from Islam “many years ago.” He had been “an active member of the church since his conversion.” Paul reportedly became a Christian but married a Muslim woman after his first wife died. The two children were from his previous marriage.
Pastor Masih and other Christians in the Rimsha Colony, an enclave of some 1,000 Christian families, suspect the murder was a targeted attack motivated by religious hatred. “This is not an ordinary crime. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are living under constant threats. We demand protection and justice,” Masih said. Paul’s Christian neighbour, speaking on condition of anonymity, remarked, “Our children are afraid to leave their homes. The community feels vulnerable and unsafe.” Pastor Masih said the murder of Paul’s family “is a tragedy for the entire Christian community in Islamabad. We demand swift action and protection for our people.”
