Pakistan’s Sargodha Blasphemy Incident
PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY AND ATTACKED BY A MUSLIM MOB HAS DIED OF INJURIES
On 25th May 2024, Sargodha, Pakistan – Persecution of Minorities in Pakistan.
Faith Builders Pakistan (FBP) was very saddened to learn of the recent incident in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha, Pakistan on the morning of May 25, 2024, in which an muslim extremist mob vandalized the house of 70-year-old Nazir Masih due to false allegations of blasphemy, namely allegations of burning pages of the Holy Quran.
The muslim mob attempted to set fire to Mr. Nazir Masih’s house as well as a neighbouring house and factory and were threatening to lynch him; all of which was instigated by a local Cleric. Video footage of the attack posted on social media clearly shows that officers of the Punjab police were present at the site as silent spectators, which once again points to their neglect and facilitation of the violence carried out by those involved in these crimes.
We extend our solidarity and support to the victims of this incident, and we urge the government of Pakistan to bring all the culprits to justice and to ensure that the lives and properties of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan are protected. We also urge the government to take concrete steps to curb radicalism so that this type of incident does not take place again.
Nazir Gill Masih, a Christian man from Sargodha in his 70s, was the man who died.
The violence brought back memories of one of the worst attacks on Pakistani Christians in August 2023, when thousands of people set ablaze churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala.
Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan and under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic figures can be sentenced to death.