Police in Pakistan have arrested two men who on suspicion of killing a Christian man earlier this year.
Brothers Salman Khan and Suleman Khan were detained in Peshawar in connection with the killing of Nadeem Joseph back in June. Joseph and his family were attacked by their Muslim neighbours after moving into the TV Colony of Peshawar, the capital of the Khybar Pakhtunkhawa province in Pakistan. The victim and his mother were both shot by the Khan brothers, allegedly for moving into a neighbourhood that was Muslim-majority.
According to International Christian Concern, in a video message recorded from his hospital bed after the attack, Joseph said: "A month ago, I purchased a house in TV Colony. I still have to make the final payments to the seller, but Salman Khan, a Muslim in the neighborhood, started harassing my family.”
Joseph, dying from his wounds added that his family were instructed to leave the neighbourhood as it was “meant for Muslim residents only".
"How dare a Christian family live amid Muslims?” he remembers Khan saying.
On 30th June, Joseph died in hospital as a result of his injuries.
Pakistan continues to be one of the most dangerous places on earth in which to live as a Christian. Attacks are common, and followers of Jesus are generally seen as second-class citizens, meaning that they face constant daily oppression. Pakistan also institutes a draconian penal code which has resulted in several Christians being arrested for blasphemy against the prophet Muhammad - a crime which carries the maximum punishment of death by hanging.