In Pakistan, Christian Employee Dies After Being Forced to Drink Acid By Muslim Employer

In Pakistan, Christians lead lives of constant misery, poverty, and physical mistreatment. Most are condemned to the most lowly of occupations, such as latrine cleaning and tannery work, and subject to constant abuse by Muslim neighbors and employers. The latest horrifying story of a Muslim employer mistreating his Christian employee can be found here.

In Pakistan, a Muslim employer who suspected his Christian employee of theft forced him to drink acid. The Christian died.

On the 8th of May, Shahid Masih, a 35-year-old Christian dairy worker, was unjustly accused of theft and subjected to horrifying torture. His employer, Muhammad Ijaz, allegedly forced Shahid to ingest a corrosive substance in the village of Ghang Sheikhupura. This act of brutality left Shahid unconscious and in critical condition….

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For eleven agonizing days, Shahid fought for his life at Mayo Hospital, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on the 18th of May 2024. His untimely passing has left behind his wife, Sonia, and their six children, who now face an uncertain future without their primary provider.

Around 1:00 pm, Sonia Bibi, aged 38, reached out to a BACA [British Asian Christian Assocation] officer, her voice choked with tears, as she lamented, “Shahid has left us alone. My children are now orphans.” Her heart-wrenching plea highlighted the profound loss and anguish her family was experiencing.

Adding to their agony, Sonia revealed that Mayo Hospital was withholding Shahid Masih’s body from them. The hospital cited the necessity of involving local police from Sheikhupura due to the circumstances surrounding Shahid’s death….

Sonia bravely informed the police officers on the line about her husband Shahid Masih’s passing at Mayo Hospital. She detailed the horrific ordeal Shahid endured at the hands of his employer, Muhammad Ijaz, and his brother, Muhammad Nazar, in Ghang village, Sheikhupura.

Assuring Sonia of their assistance, the police officer on the emergency helpline pledged full support to her cause. Within ten minutes, she received a call from the in-charge of Bhiki Police Station, Sheikhupura, informing her that two constables were dispatched to Mayo Hospital.

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Subsequently, two police officers from Bhikki Police Station arrived at Mayo Hospital around 8:00 pm. Following the necessary legal procedures, they received the deceased body of Shahid Masih, providing some solace to the grieving family amidst their profound loss.

Police officers organised the transfer of Mr Masih’s body to District Headquarters Hospital Sheikhupura, where a post-mortem examination was conducted by Doctor Ameer Hamza. The resulting Medico Legal Certificate, numbered MLC No. 2787-6225180-2024, provided conclusive evidence of the extensive damage caused by the corrosive substance, severely affecting Shahid’s esophagus and stomach, leading to the sloughing off of its mucosa.

Sonia Bibi, bravely seeking justice for her late husband, took the initiative to apply for the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the perpetrators. She accused Muhammad Ijaz, Muhammad Nazar, and their accomplices of torturing Shahid and forcefully administering the corrosive liquid that ultimately led to his tragic demise….

Juliet Chowdhry [of BACA] said: “This is a heartbreaking account of brutal violence against an innocent Christian man. The savagery with which Shahid was murdered is utterly detestable and deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law. It is a damning indictment of Pakistan that Christians remain vulnerable and face such devastating persecution due to perceived impunity. Only a concerted effort to uphold the law in this and other incidents will change the appalling mindset that treats Christians as pariahs and condones the violence meted out against them.

Judging by many past incidents where Muslims have murdered Christians in Pakistan and suffered little or no punishment for doing so, the perpetrators here will, at most, have to serve a year or two in prison — a derisory punishment. They may even be let off completely, first by claiming that they had believed Masih guilty of theft, and second, by claiming they had no idea that the acid that they made him ingest, in order “to get him to confess,” would lead to his death. They only thought the acid would be most unpleasant for him, and lead to his admission of guilt. As for Masih’s widow and six children, they are now condemned to lives of grinding poverty. This is what Christians in Pakistan must endure.