Christian communities in Pakistan are grappling with shock and grief after the killing of the Rev Kamran Salamat, a Presbyterian pastor who was gunned down outside his home in Gujranwala on 5 December.
His death comes just three months after he survived a previous shooting in Islamabad, and the motive behind the attacks remains unclear.
Pastor Salamat, aged 45, was preparing to take his 16-year-old daughter to college when a motorcyclist approached and opened fire, striking him in the wrist, ear, and abdomen. His brother-in-law, the Rev. Shahzad Salman, confirmed that the pastor died three hours after being taken to hospital.
“My brother-in-law succumbed to his injuries at the hospital three hours later,” Pastor Salman told Morning Star News. He added that the gunman fled the scene, and that the family has no information about the identity or motives of the attacker.
Large numbers of Christians gathered for Pastor Salamat’s burial the following day. A father of three, he had moved his family from Islamabad to Gujranwala after surviving a previous shooting in September. At that time, he had been struck in the leg but refused to pursue a case against the assailant.
“Rev. Kamran was a committed missionary, but he never shared the details of his mission work with his family,” Pastor Salman explained. “In fact, when he was attacked in September, he refused to pursue the case and told the police that he had forgiven his unknown assailant. Even after the incident, he never revealed to us who was threatening his life.”
According to his family, Pastor Salamat had devoted his recent ministry to supporting poor Christian women through a sewing centre, and he had also carried out outreach in some of Pakistan’s most challenging regions. Christian leaders noted that he had repeatedly travelled to tribal areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, preaching among Afghan and Pakistani Muslim communities.
“It’s quite possible that he was martyred due to his missionary work,” one church leader commented. “The truth will surface only after the police arrest the assailant.”
Police in Gujranwala are analysing CCTV footage, and Pastor Salman believes the attacker may have been accompanied by two others. So far no arrests have been made.
Christian leaders across Pakistan have expressed deep sorrow and called for urgent action. The Rev. Reuben Qamar, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, condemned the killing and urged a thorough investigation.
“We mourn the heinous killing of Pastor Kamran Salamat, a faithful servant of God,” Qamar wrote on Facebook. “His death is not only a personal loss but another wound to the Christians in Pakistan. Even in our grief, we remain steadfast in hope, rejoicing in Jesus’s victory over the darkness, sharing peace and love to this hostile world.”
Pentecostal pastor and evangelist Naeem Nasir echoed those concerns, noting that Pastor Salamat had faced persistent threats.
“Extremists had been pursuing him and threatening him everywhere he went,” Pastor Nasir stated on Facebook, recalling a conversation with the pastor’s mother-in-law. “He moved from Islamabad to Gujranwala, but they were still not satisfied. They wanted to stop his passion for preaching the gospel.”
Pastor Salamat’s murder follows a series of violent incidents targeting Christians in Pakistan. In September, a Catholic pilgrim was fatally shot and another wounded on their way to the Marian shrine in Mariamabad.
Pakistan currently ranks 8th on Open Doors’ World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.
As investigations continue, many in Pakistan’s Christian community fear the killing of another pastor will deepen anxiety among believers already navigating threats and discrimination.
