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Pakistani Christian pastor is ‘falsely accused of theft’

A Pakistani pastor was jailed in November last year after being falsely accused of theft, ANS has learned.

Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP) has said in a news release that its representatives visited Pastor Kashif Waqar, 30, in Kasur District Jail after it had learned about what it calls “his unlawful detention.”

Pastor Waqar is a resident of Pakka Qila Kasur and is married to Nancy. They have two children, Yashu and Jessica.

He had been serving as a minister since 2004 after completing his seminary from Solid Rock Bible School, Lahore. He also held a part-time job as a salesman with a cellular phone company.

According to the SLMP’s news release, Pastor Kashif Waqar’s business partner gave him mobile phone SIM cards worth 150000 Pakistani rupees ($1,774.51 US Dollars) to sell, but asked him to submit a check as surety for the SIM cards.

The news release further said that the pastor was robbed on November 14, 2009 by unidentified people.

“The robbers tied (the pastor) him up with rope and threw him in the fields,” said the SLMP news release. “Some villagers saw him and informed emergency police. Police took him to the local police station; in the meantime Pastor Kashif’s business partner came to know about the incident.”

According to the news release Pastor Kashif’s business partner told police that Kashif had told a fabricated story of theft to them and asked police to recover cash from Pastor Kashif.

The Police then sent the pastor to prison after registering a theft case against him.

A representative of Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan interviewed Pastor Kashif Waqar who told the visiting ministry team that he was innocent.

“The case registered against me is totally unlawful,” he said. “The robbers robbed me and threw in the fields where the police recovered me with my hands and feet tied with ropes.

“The police have implicated me in criminal case instead of taking action against the robbers.”

According to SLMP, Kashif believes that his Muslim business partner had implicated him in a false theft case because of him being a Christian.

“My business partner is a fundamental Muslim. When he came to know that I am a pastor and I preach Christianity apart from my job, he asked me to accept Islam, but I flatly refused him”, Kashif told the Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan.

Family Situation

The pastor’s family is facing a critical financial crisis. His wife is a housewife and has no source of income to feed her children. Her three and half year’s old daughter is a patient of diabetic who needs regular insulin injections to survive. Sometimes she cannot afford medicine for her daughter that is very painful for her. On the other hand she cannot visit pastor in jail due to her financial situation. She is living with pastor’s parents. There is nobody to support her in her crucial time.

Legal Situation

Pastor Kashif has no legal representative who can plead his case in law court. The investigation report of the case still has to be submitted in the trial court by the police authorities. Also, the pastor needs legal support to prove his innocence in the court.

SLMP’s Role

SLMP is providing moral and spiritual support to pastor and his family and says it is encouraging Pastor Kashif’s wife in her faith in Christ and has asked her to “stay strong in Christ.” SLMP urged her to pray to God and put all her concerns before Lord because He is able to deliver her from her problems and says it will try to “engage locals to step in and do something for pastor’s release.”

A spokesperson said, “We would urge all friends and prayer partners to keep Pastor Kashif Waqar and his family in your prayers.”

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TAGS: Pakistan Pakistani pastor Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan persecution falsely accused Pastor Kashif Waqar

[01/13/2010]

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