Rasheed Bibi wife of slain Christian man Nazeer Masih and her son Patris Maish have been left haunted by the brutal and shocking attack.
A Pakistani Christian man was brutally slaughtered by Muslim men named Nadir and Haider in the district of Sheikhupura near Lahore.
Nazeer Masih (RIP), 55 years, lived in a small village called Wandala Dayal Shah and worked for a local estate agent. He was left with only one
arm a few years ago after an accident at a factory where he was previously employed. His now bereaved wife Rasheeda Bibi told the BPCA that he
lived a simple life and had no enemies, however, on the evening of April 6, 2016, Nazeer Masih was cutting grass in some fields with his Muslim friend
Nawaz (40 years) when two known persons armed with a chopping knife and iron rod attacked him cutting straight through his face and slicing open his
throat. Apparently an argument had erupted after Nazeer had told them to leave the young Christians in his community alone. The men also
attacked his friend Nawaz who was a witness to the attack and, despite a wounded head, he escaped and ran towards other villagers and told them what
happened. Nawaz was not the primary target of the men as he is a Muslim.
Some villagers put Nawaz in a rickshaw and got him to the local hospital while others ran to Nazeer Masih, but sadly by the time they reached him he
had died.
Nazeer Masih’s son, Patris Masih (35 years), was one of the men who ran to the location of his father. He told the BPCA that when he reached him he
was utterly horrified by the brutality of the savage attack his father had endured. The attackers had sliced Nazeer Masih’s face several times
and the gory scene has left Patris haunted. He broke down and cried beside his father’s dead body and is still very heartbroken and traumatised.
Local villagers called police naming two Muslim men as the murderers, Nadir and Haider from a nearby village. However police officials refused
to register a First Incident Report (FIR) for the crime and no action was taken by them.
During the morning of April 7, 2016, a group of Christians disgusted by the lack of police activity over a clear murder case took the dead body of
Nazeer Masih to the nearby G T Road and staged a protest rally. After a couple of hour’s demonstration and protracted negotiation with senior police
officials, the group agreed to bury the body on the assurance that an FIR would be lodged and the complaint investigated.
Pastor Alfred Azam said:
“This is not the first incident of persecution of Christians in our village, local Muslims are always creating problems for our Christian community. Before and after our church services Muslim drug dealers swarm around our church trying to sell drugs to our vulnerable youth. Some drug pushers move around in Christian residential areas and beat young Christians forcing them to take drugs in an attempt to get them addicted. When our older men tell these criminals to leave our young people alone they get killed.”
In September 2014, Mohammad Waqas, a drug dealer shot dead a young Christian man Asif Masih in broad daylight. Asif Masih worked as labourer and also
ran a small food stall. He leaves five children to survive without him, his only fault being that he stopped drug dealers from selling drugs
in Christians’ streets. Only after campaigning by Christians did police register FIR #964/14 against against the killer who was sent to prison under
Pakistani Penal Code 302 and 324
Shamim Masih, BPCA lead officer, said:
“When I visited the local police station (PS Ferozwala), the Senior House Officer (SHO) was not present, however, more junior officials told me that there is a pending investigation of this alleged murder. As soon as police are able to find any clue for the murder an FIR will be registered against the culprits.”
So far a complaint has been registered and police are searching for the killers Nadir and Haider who were named by eye witness Mohammad Nawaz.
Some Christians are hopeful for success with this case as a Muslim key witness was also injured and as a result the police have been relatively cooperative
following their initial traditional insouciance towards an attack on Christians. However, too date no arrests have been made and other Christians believe
senior police officials have been bribed to remain dormant in addition to the normal Christian-centric-victim apprehension, especially considering
there is an eye witness.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the BPCA, said:
“Often Pakistani Christian asylum applications to the UK are denied on the basis that Christians are offered a police service and have a judicial system set up too protect them. Yet in this case, once again we have evidence of a corrupt and poorly administered rule of law that is biased against the deprived Christian community. Britain has to review it’s current home office policy towards Pak-Christians, their risk profile for such asylum seekers is based on the false premise that a developed law and order mechanism operates in Pakistan. This simply is not true.”
He added:
The problem of drug addiction in Christian communities is a rising concern. The coercing of vulnerable Christians and other minority youth into drug addiction, often by force, has developed wealthy Muslim drug lords who continue to target such vulnerable communities. Their success and accumulated wealth has given them great power, often with authority over police forces who turn a blind eye to their crimes on the offer of rishwat (bribes). This influence to murder without impunity is devastating for Christians and must be met with the full force of the law for the sake of justice. It is high time the government of Pakistan set up a specialist task force to crack down on the drug cartels that have destroyed so many lives.”
To help Christians in Pakistan we challenge people of good conscience to sign our petition calling for nations in the west and the UN review of their
current risk profile for Pakistani Christians. The on-line petition also calls for for better protection of minorities in Pakistan and can be found
by clicking (here).
We have set up a disaster recovery appeal to help and assist the family of Nazeer Masih. Our donations will help pay for a solicitor to challenge for
justice for the family (£400), will pay for funeral costs for Nazeer Masih (£200) and will provide trauma counselling for the family (£200). If you
would like to support our appeal financially please contribute by using this link
(click here)
We have further photos below some of them will show graphic images from the brutal attack.
Nazir Masih before attack
Shamim Masih with the family of Nazeer Masih
Shamim with the wife and son of Nazeer Masih
The family of Nazeer Masih
Wife and brother of Nazeer Masih
A very brutal attack left the family emotionally scarred.
