The ANS reports that “Eleven Pakistani Christian student nurses were allegedly deliberately poisoned with mercury on Sunday, July 29, 2012, at the Civil Hospital in Karachi.  According to one of the affected nurses, a colleague had made the tea for them and after 10pm they immediately fell ill after drinking it.   The nurses were taken to the Civil Hospital’s emergency ward and sent back after treatment. They developed complications the next morning and had to be taken to the hospital again.  Three student nurses were in very critical situation two went in ICU and one is on ventilator rest five is now in general ward. All the student nurses were Christians. Chief Nursing Superintendent Mrs. Nasreen Gill said that a First Information Report (FIR) has been launched against unknown person and added that they are investigating how this incident took place and stated that they will do ‘a crystal clean investigation.'”

The report also suggested that there were rumors that they were poisoned by someone for failing to comply with Ramadan fasting.

There has not been any further confirmation or media reports on this.

Pakistan Christians are an oppressed minority religious group within Pakistan, and have regularly been the targets of other religious extremists.