Bahawalpur church shooting
The Bahawalpur church shooting occurred on October 28, 2001, at Saint Dominic's Church in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. Six masked gunmen from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi attacked on three motorcycles, carrying AK-47 rifles hidden in bags, as about 100 worshippers were inside.
They killed the church guard at the gate and then opened fire on the worshippers, chanting slogans like "Afghanistan and Pakistan, graveyard of Christians" and "Allah hu Akbar." The attack lasted about three minutes, from 08:52 to 08:55. In total, 18 people were killed — the guard plus 17 Christians.
Officials said the attack targeted Christians and cited retaliation related to the Afghanistan invasion and religious discrimination in Pakistan as motives. After the assault, police cracked down on suspects and arrested 22 people. On July 28, 2002, four Lashkar-e-Jhangvi suspects who admitted involvement were killed in an ambush.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:40 (CET).