More than 300 mourners protested for several hours alongside the body of a Christian laborer allegedly poisoned by Muslims as officials urged them to bury their dead. “O Lord we are helpless” and “Injustice with Christians” stated placards as villagers from Tariqabad blocked a major road near Gojra city of Pakistan’s Punjab province on May 24 demanding registration of a police case for the killing of 32-year-old Arif Masih, who was kidnapped on May 23.
“Two men from Gujjar community raided our house and forcefully took him on a motorcycle. About an hour later, they threw him in the market at our front door. He was semi-conscious, hospitalized and died the same night,” said Rizwan Masih, his brother, in a police first information report filed following the three-hour protest.
“Last week the accused physically harassed our sister. My brother had been receiving death threats since we reported the incident at the police station. He was being forced for a truce.”
Tariqabad, a Muslim-majority village, is home to 45 Christian families. Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP) is providing legal aid to the dead man’s family.
“Arif Masih was murdered for demanding justice. The panchayat [local village assembly] scolded the Christian family for filing the case and threatened them with a social boycott for pursuing it. The influential accused easily attained pre-arrest bail,” MAP chairman Akmal Bhatti told.
“We condemn the murder reported earlier as a suicide. The local police were reluctant to record a report. Our people are tired of protesting with dead bodies. They were forced to protest under the scorching sun irrespective of the Covid pandemic.”
Human rights groups often complain of a biased criminal justice system in Pakistan.