By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – Pakistani Christians on Sunday urged nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India to immediately end their fighting as clashes rapidly escalated hours after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was supposed to come into effect.
Witnesses said they saw artillery fire and attack drones in the Indian-administered Kashmir region’s cities of Srinagar and Jammu. Footage obtained by Worthy News showed flashes in the sky over Jammu, the Indian city of roughly 500,000 people.
Despite suggestions that Pakistani forces were behind the attacks, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Pakistan remained committed to implementing the deal, “notwithstanding the violations being committed by India in some areas”. It said troops on the ground should “exercise restraint”.
A tense calm returned Sunday to the area, following four days of fighting that left scores of people dead. U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced the “full and immediate” ceasefire on his Truth Social Platform on Saturday.
He said the U.S. had brokered it, though Pakistan’s foreign minister said “three dozen countries” were also involved in the diplomacy.
Yet as tensions remained high, minority Christians already facing difficulties in predominantly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, expressed concern.
LEAD Ministries Pakistan, a leading advocacy group in the region, told Worthy News that “voices advocating for peace and understanding are more crucial than ever.”
MORE PERSECUTION?
Christian human rights lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill, the founder of LEAD, said he feared that war between India and Pakistan “will contribute more to the persecution and victimization of religious minorities than the majority community.”
He explained to Worthy News that “this is underscoring the disproportionate toll war would take on vulnerable groups.”
Worthy News documented through the years that minority Christians have often faced being scapegoated in conflicts while having a lack of humanitarian aid.
Pakistani Pastor Imran Amanat, a leading voice within LEAD, condemned the framing of the India-Pakistan tension as a religious conflict. “The individuals who are making it related to religious or a faith-based war must be condemned. We are all human beings, and we have to promote peace,” he stressed.
However, observers say India and Pakistan have clashed for decades over the disputed territory of Kashmir, where the majority religion is Islam, and conversions of local Muslims to Christianity have led to tensions.
LEAD Ministries said it has “urged responsible individuals, community leaders, and citizens from both sides in India and Pakistan to refrain from spreading hatred that could escalate tensions further. They call for compassion, dialogue, and mutual respect to prevent the deterioration of regional stability.”
The group stressed in a statement to Worthy News that “the message of Christ is one of peace, justice, and reconciliation—not of war. Jesus Christ called His followers to be peacemakers, to love their enemies, and to seek justice for the oppressed. War contradicts the very heart of Christ’s teachings. As followers of Christ, LEAD Ministries believes that true strength lies in forgiveness, compassion, and the pursuit of peaceful coexistence.”
US INTERVENTION
The group told Worthy News that it appreciates “the United States authorities’ timely intervention to maintain peace in the South Asian subcontinent. Their diplomatic involvement is seen as a crucial step toward preventing conflict and fostering understanding between the two countries.”
Yet as the world watches closely, “it is imperative that all stakeholders prioritize diplomacy, peace, and the well-being of all communities—regardless of religion or nationality. LEAD Ministries continues to advocate for this vision of unity and coexistence,” the group added.
The latest clashes were sparked by last month’s attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 tourists dead.
On Wednesday, India launched a series of strikes on sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in retaliation.
The Indian defence ministry said “Operation Sindoor” was part of a “commitment” to hold “accountable” those behind the April 22 attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali national.
Pakistan, which denied any involvement in the deadly attack, called India’s strikes “unprovoked”, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that the “heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished”.
Christians in the region urged both sides to reconsider and search for peace amid concerns of a broader nuclear war between India, home to 1.4 billion people, and Pakistan, with a roughly 250-million-strong population.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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