Swedish church volunteer dies after Pakistan shooting

Published
0

Photo shows church volunteer Birgitta Almeby in intensive care at the hospital prior to her death.—AFP Photo

STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s government says an elderly Swedish woman who was shot by a gunman while working as a volunteer in Pakistan has died from her wounds.

Birgitta Almeby, who was in her 70s, died in a Stockholm hospital overnight on Thursday after having been airlifted to her homeland for medical treatment earlier this week.

In a brief statement, Swedish Aid Minister Gunilla Carlsson confirmed the death by passing on her condolences, saying the incident had touched her deeply.

Almeby had worked as a church volunteer in Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, for almost 40 years when she was attacked by an unknown assailant on Dec 3.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but local media reported that Almeby had frequently received threats from a group of unknown men.

Opinion

Editorial

Need for dialogue
06 Aug, 2026

Need for dialogue

THE interior minister’s comments at an Islamabad seminar last week have sparked many a conversation about the ...
Bad press
06 Aug, 2026

Bad press

THE government’s move to impose restrictions on international media will not only alienate the foreign press, it...
Automobile concerns
06 Aug, 2026

Automobile concerns

PAKISTAN’S automobile industry is at a critical juncture. Sharp cuts in tariffs on the import of completely built...
State of confusion
Updated 05 Aug, 2026

State of confusion

FROM the looks of it, America has no exit strategy to extricate itself from the disastrous war with Iran. US...
Pension decision
05 Aug, 2026

Pension decision

THE government’s decision to formally operationalise the new Defined Contribution Pension Fund Scheme is a step...
Preventable deaths
05 Aug, 2026

Preventable deaths

THE deaths of 144 children from measles and diphtheria in Karachi during the first seven months of the year expose a...