SW News: The plight of the Christian minority was highlighted by the Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the supreme spiritual head of the Anglican Church, during his recent visit to Pakistan. During his three-day visit last weekend the top prelate expressed concern over the systemic discrimination faced by minority communities and persecution of Christians in the Muslim-majority country during his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The archbishop told the prime minister that the government’s apathy in tackling hate speech and fostering communal harmony will contribute to mob violence. During his visit, he made a trip to Peshawar’s All Saint’s Church where he spoke with the kith and kin of Presbyter William Siraj who was shot dead by a terrorist last month. The 75-year-old was gunned down while he was returning home after Sunday worship.

The top Anglican prelate also had a message for the All Saints community as the church was the target of a 2013 suicide bomb attack that killed 80 people. Archbishop Welby said that “You are not forgotten.” He also laid the cornerstone for a new interfaith center.

“It was profoundly moving to visit the Christian community of Peshawar,” the Archbishop said, adding that “It’s a community I have longed to visit for many years. I have prayed for them, wept for them, and thanked God for them. Many of the community there continue to live with the trauma of the terrible attacks. . . And yet the All Saints’ community have refused to allow the darkness to overcome the light of Christ among them. They are an inspiration and a blessing to us all.”

It was the Moderator of the Church of Pakistan Dr Azad Marshall, which is part of the Anglican Communion, who invited the Canterbury Archbishop soon after his election in 2021. He had also told the Archbishop that the nation was deviating from its promise of its founding father to protect the rights of minorities.