PUNJAB, Pakistan — A 22-year-old Christian auto-rickshaw driver was shot nine times by an elite police unit in Punjab after officers mistook him for a wanted suspect, and his family is now facing pressure from the same force to drop the investigation, the U.S.-based monitoring group International Christian Concern reported.
Alayan Johnson, the primary financial supporter for his two parents and five siblings, was struck in the legs, thighs, neck, and stomach by officers of the Dolphin Force, a rapid-response unit of the Punjab Police, from approximately 12 feet away. A bullet that hit his chest was stopped by the mobile phone in his shirt pocket, saving his life. Doctors at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, where Johnson was taken after the shooting, told him he may be paralyzed in one leg.
“The reckless inefficiency of these officers has effectively robbed an innocent, hardworking young man of his youth and physical mobility,” an ICC staffer said. “We pray for a fair investigation and hope that true justice is served for young Alayan and his family.”
Johnson recounted the incident in a video statement from his hospital bed. He said a passenger he had just dropped off — a wanted suspect identified as Arslan — fired at police and fled. Rather than pursue Arslan, the Dolphin Force officers opened fire on Johnson, who was unarmed and had no criminal history. Johnson said “the police shot him at close range even though he was unarmed.”
The case has exposed what ICC described as severe systemic intimidation. Johnson’s family is reportedly facing relentless pressure from Dolphin Force officials to halt the investigation. Johnson himself said he was initially forced to give a false statement at the Sadiqabad police station claiming Arslan had shot him. He later corrected his account from the hospital.
“He was a hardworking young man supporting his family,” the ICC staffer said.
Law enforcement officials in Rawalpindi have suspended and charged the four Dolphin Force officers involved and ordered a fair investigation. The Dolphin Force in Rawalpindi is already facing heavy criticism for abuse of power. Pakistan’s Christian minority — roughly 2 percent of the population — faces persistent discrimination and violence, and ICC has documented a pattern of police impunity in cases involving Christian victims. Johnson’s family has said they intend to pursue the case despite the threats.