As winter tightens its grip, Ukraine finds itself grappling with extreme weather conditions, causing widespread disruptions across the country. The State Emergency Service reported that 386 settlements in 10 regions have been significantly affected, with snowstorms leading to power cuts and creating chaos on the roads. The southern port of Odesa, in particular, has witnessed some of the most intense weather, with a staggering 1.5 meters of snow blanketing the region. The Kyiv-Odesa highway is closed, and the aftermath includes a 100-meter-long pipe collapse of a boiler-house in the city. According to NBC News, there have been 71 car accidents…
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In the rural outskirts of Sindh, a heartbreaking incident unfolded as Jammu Masih, a 28-year-old Christian farm worker, saw his entire world crumble when his mudbrick house succumbed to a fierce blaze. The calamity struck when a sparking straw from a burning pile of cotton residue on a nearby farm found its way to the husky roof of Jammu’s humble abode. Initially the family received an apology from the landowner who later threatened violence if they sought compensation. Eventually the landlord offered to pay £50 if the family agreed to enter into a slavery contract, which the family have refused…
Aleeza Masih, a resilient 7-year-old survivor of the brutal terrorist attack on Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta during advent 2017 (click here), is not only alive but thriving, thanks to the intervention of the British Asian Christian Association. Aleeza was just 1.5 years old when the attack occurred during a nativity service, claiming the lives of nine innocent people and injuring 52 others (click here). https://youtu.be/kMSwyYIEyEk Aleeza’s survival was attributed to the courage of volunteer Christian security officers. However, she suffered severe injuries, losing her right foot and sustaining damage to her bowels from shrapnel. Initial treatment at a…
Pasrur, Sialkot: In the early hours of the morning, tragedy befell the Talvandi Anayat Khan Bajwa community in Pasrur, Sialkot, when 20-year-old Farhan ul Qamar (20 yrs), an aspiring medical student and devout Christian, was brutally murdered in his own home. The assailant, identified as Muhammad Zubair (24 yrs), targeted Farhan for expressing support for Israel on social media during the recent conflict with Palestine. For an agonizing half-hour, the heartless assailant subjected the family and other Christians in the vicinity to relentless abuse, baselessly accusing them of being Jewish agents and issuing ominous threats of mass murder. The remorseless…
Fiona Bruce MP, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, held a Pakistan FoRB roundtable meeting on 26 October at 2 – 3.30pm. The roundtable meetings, bring together civil society with FCDO colleagues from the Pakistan Desk and posted in Pakistan to share concerns about the Freedom of Religion and Belief situation there. The meeting was held at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, King Charles St, London, SW1A 2AH. Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee for British Asian Christian Association, addressed the event that was also attended by Bishop emeritus/Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali, John Pontifex of Aid to the Church…
In August of this year, the Sindh region of Pakistan faced severe consequences due to heavy rainfall, resulting in substantial losses of property, livestock, and crops. Amidst this crisis, the Christian community residing in mud brick houses at Khwaja Stop found themselves in dire need of assistance. British Asian Christian Association (BACA) played a crucial role in responding to their needs, providing essential items such as food and mosquito nets (click here). Now we have installed a water pump. The initiative was sparked by the efforts of Evangelist Prabhu Das, a dedicated volunteer who had witnessed BACA’s previous assistance during…
An 18-year-old Christian woman was deceived and raped by three Muslim men. The girl was locked inside a small grocery shop owned by one of the perpetrators. The desperate parents tirelessly searched for their missing daughter but were unsuccessful. They eventually reported the incident to the police. The perpetrators forcibly covered the victim’s mouth and subjected her to multiple instances of sexual assault before callously dumping her in a desolate sugarcane field and fleeing. In a horrifying incident, an 18-year-old Christian woman named Sunaiha Arif fell victim to a cruel deception and brutal assault by three Muslim men. The perpetrators,…
A 14 year Christian girl from a poor brick kiln worker family was kidnapped and raped by three Muslim men on her way to school. The young girl was kept hostage for 25 days at an unknown location in Lahore. Nagina Akram was later recovered from the residence of the culprits A medical report has confirmed that Miss Akram is a juvenile who is underage for marriage, and that she was forcefully raped multiple times during a brutal abduction. Pattoki police have arrested the main culprit while the other two culprits remain in hiding. In a small village near Lahore,…
The monsoon season in July wreaked havoc in the Sindh region this year, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. While the intensity was less severe than the previous year, the rainfall from July 19th to 24th caused significant damage to crops, houses, and livestock. Mud houses crumbled, acres of crops were destroyed, and families found themselves displaced, seeking shelter under makeshift tents. In the aftermath of the flood-like rains, stagnant water became breeding grounds for mosquitoes, unleashing a wave of waterborne diseases. The vulnerable population, particularly children and the elderly, suffered from ailments like diarrhea and abdominal sickness.…
In the early days of August, the British Asian Christian Association (BACA) stepped forward to provide essential food aid to several Christian families residing at Khwaja Stop in Sindh. These families, grappling with the aftermath of work loss caused by heavy rains in July 2023, reached out to BACA for support. Our connection with the community, was established through a volunteer in Sindh who had witnessed BACA’s previous assistance to flood victims in the region the year before. Last year, Pakistan faced unprecedented rainfall that led to devastating floods across the country. The continuous downpour resulted in widespread destruction, claiming…