Pakistan: The murder of Pastor Kamran Naaz on 5 December 2025 in Gujranwala is a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by Christian leaders and communities in Pakistan. LEAD Ministries, committed to advocating Christian rights and documenting situations in countries where Christians are targeted, mistreated, or persecuted, considers it important to share the findings of the investigation and the broader realities of this case.

Pastor Kamran Naaz, a respected pastor and church founder, was shot dead in a targeted attack while leaving his home. Police investigations revealed that the murder resulted from a premeditated conspiracy involving personal betrayal and hired assailants. While authorities have stated that this was not a terrorism-related incident, the circumstances cannot be separated from the history of threats and hostility Pastor Kamran Naaz had faced due to his ministry and Christian activities.

Records and community reports show that Pastor Kamran Naaz had previously faced threats, attacks, and opposition linked to his role in establishing a church. These incidents led to police complaints and forced relocations, highlighting a persistent environment of insecurity for Christian leaders.

Christian leaders in Pakistan, as in many parts of the world, face persecution that goes beyond personal disputes. They are often targeted not only because of their Christian faith but also due to jealousy, personal animosity, professional rivalry, or resentment toward their religious influence and community leadership. In many cases, these personal conflicts are amplified by societal prejudice, creating conditions where harassment, exploitation, and systematic abuse of legal and social mechanisms—including the misuse of blasphemy laws—can occur. Such targeting represents not merely individual animosity but a pattern of discrimination and oppression that threatens the safety, dignity, and fundamental human rights of Christian leaders and their communities.

A particularly alarming aspect of this persecution is the false implication of Christian pastors and community leaders in serious criminal complaints, often resulting in lengthy legal battles, social stigmatization, and emotional trauma. In several of these cases, women have been manipulated or coerced, sometimes with promises of undue advantage or gains, or to inflict harm and loss on others, as part of a strategy driven by religious hatred, animosity, or professional jealousy. Extremist elements are frequently involved behind the scenes, exploiting systemic vulnerabilities—including misuse of blasphemy laws—to intensify oppression and evade accountability. Human-rights monitors recognize these practices as severe violations of fundamental rights, constituting a deliberate and structured attempt to destabilize Christian families, leaders, and communities.

Pastor Imran Amanat, a leader of LEAD Ministries, has emphasized that:

“Christian leaders and communities live under fear and insecurity. The murder of Pastor Kamran Naaz shows how personal betrayal, jealousy, and hostility toward Christian activities can converge with devastating consequences. Protection, justice, and community support are urgently needed to prevent such tragedies.”

LEAD Ministries, under the leadership of Pastor Imran Amanat, urges Pakistani authorities to take decisive action in response to the murder. The organization emphasizes that authorities must ensure accountability for those directly responsible, thoroughly review prior threats, attacks, and complaints that went unaddressed, and implement measures to protect minority women and families from coercion, exploitation, or manipulation. In addition, LEAD Ministries calls for preventive mechanisms that safeguard Christian leaders, their families, and communities from repeated harm, addressing both immediate risks and the structural vulnerabilities—including the abuse of blasphemy laws—that make such tragedies possible.

The killing of Pastor Kamran Naaz is not an isolated tragedy—it reflects a broader reality where Christians in Pakistan remain vulnerable to violence, exploitation, and systemic injustice. Families, women, and congregations continue to live under the constant threat of harassment, legal abuse, social marginalization, and targeted attacks. Without meaningful reforms and protective mechanisms, these communities remain highly exposed, and their fundamental rights continue to be at risk.

Justice has been served in identifying the perpetrators of this murder, but protecting Christian communities from the structural and social vulnerabilities—including abuse of blasphemy laws—that make such crimes possible is the next urgent challenge.