Author: Editor

A deaf and mute teenager has been kidnapped whilst Pakistani police took two months to investigate. Komal Patras, a 17-year-old deaf and mute girl by birth, was taken from her home in Shibli town, Sandha Band Road, Lahore, whilst her parents were at work and her little brother slept in the next room. Komal, who was studying at home attends a government school for children with special needs, is being home schooled during the pandemic lock-down, revising for her forthcoming year 10 exams when she disappeared on the 13th March 2020. Her parents, Patras Masih (55 yrs), a factory cleaner…

A 7-year-old Christian-girl crossing a wheat field alone on the way home to celebrate Easter with her grandmother was rescued from an attack when locals heard her screams. Nadia Masih was travelling alone to a local farmhouse at 8pm on 11th April a journey of around 5km distance, when she was grabbed by a 24 year old Muslim Neighbour Muhammad Shoaib.  Usually Nadia would undertake the long and arduous journey with a friend, but in her excitement milk for her grandmother to make her favourite Kheer dish for Easter, meant she rushed home. Fortunately for Nadia her screams were heard…

A gang of Muslim men took advantage of deserted streets during the lockdown period to break into a church and threaten its Pastor. At midnight, on the 9th May, local residents from a small town in Sheikhupura heard men attempt to break open their local church doors by removing it from its hinges. The vandals were taking advantage of the surrounding quiet and deserted streets during the COVID-19 lockdown, to break into a deserted church. Aun Abbass Malik and Ali Shan, well-known land mafia gang members, were armed with guns and pistols, along with 5 or 6 other men, while…

The work of the British Asian Christian Association in Ilford has expanded to help a burgeoning number of needy people. We now provide a foodbank at 9am.  Alongside our foodbank we provide some hot meals prepared by Singh Sabha East London. We are also providing daily evening meals for the homeless and financially hard-up and are being helped by Rotary International who provide western meals five days a week, and from many local volunteers from a wide variety of faiths.  This includes Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and atheists and is bolstered by regular evening meals by Singh Sabha East London. Our…

As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the globe the working-class labouring colonies of Pakistan are hit the hardest as the imposed lockdown bites hard. BACA answered the call of many families of Green Town in Lahore to drop much needed food aid to the desperate starving community, which is made up of mostly of hard working low paid labourers. Before the lockdown the families were surviving on a hand to mouth daily wage. However, when their employment was temporarily terminated due to lockdown restrictions, these families soon realised how bleak their immediate future was. Food parcels were prepared by BACA, each…

As the lockdown in Thailand gets closer to a months duration many Pak-Christian families are feeling the pressure of no income and a reduction in the help received by local charities.  On a daily basis our officer in Thailand, John, is receiving calls from families seeking help with the basic necessity of food and of course rent. Empty Bangkok streets create new set of dangers for asylum seekers. Though we have not begun any grants towards rent which would cost around £60 per month, we have began our food programme. Over 15 families were given supplies including cooking oil, rice…

A desperate plea for help from a teenage Christian boy in the Punjab, led to BACA delivering their second batch of food aid during the Coronavirus pandemic. Saqib Maish, (17 yrs), contacted BACA for help after remembering restoration work that we had completed after the 2017 floods, which devastated his village of Sheikhan and the surrounding Punjab province. This plea was one of many requests for help BACA receives for food throughout Pakistan since the COVID-19 Pandemic, but we were eager to help as this community is one we are already connected with.  Our earlier work included medical camps, clean…

A Christian charity has called for stronger focus on helping the homeless cope with COVID-19, after an Ilford based homeless man named Pritham committed suicide on Thursday. Pritham who had been attending a meals for the homeless project at British Asian Christian Association’s headquarters took his life by jumping from a train, in what his friends have said was increasing depression over self-isolation and a lack of support services. The impact of the death was felt widely creating anguish amongst the homeless community and the charities that support them, many of whom new him well. On Friday 3rd April, Pastor…

British Asian Christian Association has been planning and preparing for a ‘Meals for the Homeless’ project in Ilford for at least two years, but raising finance became an onerous task which caused delay. Our perseverance and belief that it was a calling from God has now been rewarded.  We now heading up three days of hot meals for the financially hard-up and homeless after a local Sikh Gurdwara, Singh Sabha London East based in Seven Kings, have offered the food they used to deliver themselves to us to distribute.  Moreover, Saint Peter’s and Paul’s Church on High Road Ilford who…

Hannah Chowdhry (16 yrs), our youngest regular volunteer for BACA was to have her GCSE’s this year, however they have been postponed. On the day that she received notification that her GCSE exams were cancelled, she immediately decided to drop studying for her GCSE’s and focused on her new A Level subjects instead, to gain some preparedness for when she joins her new school for sixth form. Bizarrely, her school only shared advice that she focuses on A level topics yesterday. Moreover they have only shared notes with students that help with the syllabus attached with their school. As Hannah…