DHAKA: A Bangladeshi pastor survived an attempt  on his life by three men who came to his home pretending to want to  learn about Christianity, police and the victim said.

The  attempt follows two killings of foreigners last week in the  predominantly Muslim country grappling with violence claimed by  hard-line Islamic groups. The Islamic State group claimed it had carried  out last week’s attacks on a Japanese agricultural worker and an  Italian aid worker.

The IS claim has been rejected by Bangladesh’s  government, which accused the opposition of trying to destabilise the  country. On Monday, the Reverend Luke Sarker suffered injuries when three men attacked him with a knife at his home in Pabna, police official Siddikur Rahman said.