A 73-year-old Christian man was hospitalised in an incident of mob violence in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha District, Punjab Province, Pakistan that broke out on 25 May after he was accused of blasphemy.
On the morning of 25 May, members of the Muslim community in Mujahid Colony broadcast accusations that Lazar (Nazir) Masih had allegedly burnt pages of the Qur’an, prompting a mob of over 1,000 people to attack Mr Masih’s home and the shoe factory he has owned in the area for six years.
Local police intervened and rescued Mr Masih’s family, however Mr Masih himself was violently attacked by members of the mob who threw stones and bricks at him and beat him with steel rods. Police claim that the mob seized Mr Masih themselves, however Mr Masih’s nephew Irfan Gill told The Cecil & Iris Chaudhry Foundation (CICF) that the police had handed him over.
Mr Masih was eventually also rescued from the mob and taken to District Head Quarters (DHQ) Hospital in Sargodha, and later transferred to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Sargodha and then to CMH Rawalpindi where he remains in critical condition due to his multiple head injuries.
The CICF reports that most of the Christian residents of Mujahid Colony have fled their homes in the wake of the attack, and that Mr Masih has been charged under Sections 295-A and B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which criminalise blasphemy. Police have also filed First Information Reports (FIRs), which are required to open investigations, against 44 named individuals and 450 unnamed persons for their involvement in the violence.
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws remain highly controversial. They are frequently misused to settle personal vendettas or to target minority communities, and accusations of blasphemy can often incite mob violence or vigilante justice.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW wishes Mr Masih a swift and full recovery from this traumatic ordeal. Regardless of the accusations against him, he and his family should never have been subjected to such violence, and we call on the authorities in Sargodha to ensure that all those responsible for the attacks on his home and factory are brought to justice. The continued criminalisation of blasphemy is wholly incompatible with Pakistan’s national and international commitments to freedom of religion or belief, and a dangerous driver of religious extremism in the country. We therefore call for the charges against Mr Masih to be dismissed immediately and without condition, and reiterate that these blasphemy laws must be repealed as a matter of urgency.’