June 5, 2024
Bilal Baseer
ISLAMABAD
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s fact-finding report observes that the May 25 mob attack on Christian families in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha, was a targeted attack, given a religious color to exact maximum leverage.
According to the report, a mob attacked the home of a Christian man identified as Nazir Masih and his son Sultan Masih amidst accusations of deliberately burning pages of the Holy Quran. It notes that the incident instigated by an announcement from a local mosque, brought to light deep-seated religious and personal tensions within the community.
The fact-finding report states that the trouble started when Nazir Masih was accused of burning pages of the Holy Quran. Thereafter, an announcement made from a local mosque charged up a mob of about 2000 people, demanding death for Nazir and Sultan Masih. The message was circulated on WhatsApp too.
The mob, armed with rocks, sticks and petrol bombs created a scene of chaos. The police initially tried to calm the crowd but realizing the severity of the situation decided to evacuate the family.
The police used teargas as cover to rescue nine family members, including women and children from the mob. However, Nazir Masih was caught and severely beaten by the crowd. He succumbed to injuries on June 3, 2024.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) sent a fact-finding mission to Sargodha on May 28, 2024. The team, comprising Maheen Pracha, Asad Jamal and Yaqoob Khan Bangash, held meetings with local religious, community and political leaders as well as senior police officers, members of the victim’s family and residents of the Mujahid Colony.
The mission learned that about 150–200 Christian families lived in Mujahid Colony among roughly 2,000 Muslim families, and their had generally been cordial.
Nazir Masih, father of two sons — Sultan Masih who lived next door and Ilyas Masih abroad — was accused of defiling the Quran by his neighbour, Ayub Gondal, whose children had recently had an altercation with Sultan’s children.
When the mob attacked they not only badly injured Nazir but also burned down his family’s shoe workshop, where nine Christian workers were employed.
The mission found that the police had gathered necessary evidence from the scene but had also started restoring the area under directives from the Punjab chief minister, which was perceived as downplaying the incident. Christian community members voiced concerns and expressed doubt about their safety to return to the Mujahid Colony.
A prominent poster of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) outside Ayub Gondal’s shop indicated possible political motivations behind the attack given the TLP’s history of using blasphemy allegations for political leverage.
Two FIRs were filed in connection with the incident. The first, lodged against Nazir Masih on the day of the attack, included charges of blasphemy and sectarian hatred. The second, filed after Nazir’s death, charged the mob with attempted murder. However, the HRCP noted that the mosque announcement, which played a critical role in rallying the mob, was not mentioned in the FIR.
The HRCP concluded that the attack on the Masih family was likely a targeted act stemming from a personal dispute exploited by Gondal through a blasphemy accusation. They emphasized the need for a thorough investigation and prosecution of all involved including addressing the role of political parties like TLP in instigating such violence.
The mission also stressed the importance of implementing the 2014 Supreme Court judgment on the rights of religious minorities, and called for amendments to the blasphemy laws to prevent misuse. They urged the government to ensure the physical and economic wellbeing of affected families and to promote stronger interfaith relationships to prevent future incidents.
Civil society shows solidarity with Masih family
The civil society activists and the Christian community staged protest demonstrations across the country in solidarity with the Nazir Masih family. The National Minorities Alliance held a protest in Faisalabad on June 1, during which the protesters condemned the act of violence under the guise of false accusations of blasphemy against Masih. The protesters demanded that state introduce serious measures for the protection of minorities.
Lala Robin, who led the demonstration, demanded the setup of an empowered commission to investigate violence against minorities.
On June 4, Christian community members and human rights activists demonstrated outside the National Press Club in Islamabad. During the protest, speakers urged the authorities to arrest and prosecute those responsible for violence to prevent such incidents in the future.
Joseph Arshad, Archbishop of Rawalpindi-Islamabad, expressed profound sorrow over the incident, noting that the Christian community has not yet recovered from the tragedy of the Jaranwala incident. “The recent violence in Sargodha is another grievous act of inhumanity.”
Others who strongly condemned the incident included senior PPP leader Farhatullah Babar, Co-chairperson of HRCP Munizae Jahangir, rights activist Sadia Bokhari, Senator Khalil Tahir Sindhu, Director of the Christian Study Center Rawalpindi, Bishop Samuel Azariya, and others. They criticized the incident and demanded stringent legal action against the perpetrators and emphasized the need for genuine punishment to curb such incidents.