Four members of a Christian family were killed by gunfire in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday in an attack for which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility. "An hour later, they were martyred by the attackers". A fifth person riding in the rickshaw - a 12-year-old girl - survived and was taken to the hospital, Pakistan's Dawn news agency says.
The shooting, which targeted a single family, occurred in the western city of Quetta, the provincial capital. "The poor man will now have to bring up his three minor children - two daughters and a son - all by himself".
The Islamic State (IS, also known as Daesh), claimed responsibility for the attack but presented no supporting evidence.
Police found 9mm bullet casings at the scene of the attack.
Christians celebrating Easter Sunday were attacked by a suicide bomber at an amusement park in Lahore in 2016, killing at least 69 people and wounding hundreds more. Law enforcement agencies reached the site of the incident soon after the incident and shifted the bodies to Civil Hospital.
More news: An Internet Challenge Has Teenagers Snorting Condoms"Much of the Christian persecution in Pakistan comes from radical Islamic groups that flourish and expand under the favor of political parties, the army, and the government", said Open Doors, which has listed Pakistan in the top ten of worst places in the world to be Christian. "Three members of a family, including a woman, were killed when the motor rickshaw they were (in)... came under attack, ' he said adding that "The rickshaw driver, who was also a Christian by faith, is among the dead". "Now is the time we all should stand up against these terrorists and killers".
"Pervaiz Masih had been living in Quetta for 10 years".
"The Christian minority in Pakistan will continue to be targeted by radical Islamic groups, especially when these have "official" state backing", an analyst told Open Doors. The Taliban targeted the school as revenge for Pakistani military operations against them. A December 2017 attack on a Methodist church in Quetta killed eight.
Four members of a Christian family were gunned down in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, police said, in the latest attack on the minority community.
Pakistan is ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors' 2018 Word Watch List of the countries where it is most hard to be a Christian.
