Christian Man Murdered Over Property Dispute in Pakistan

Just last week a Christian man in Pakistan was brutally butchered to death, leaving his family crying out for justice.

Our affiliate in Pakistan, the Organization for Legal Aid (OLA), sent a team to meet with the family of the recently murdered man, Nazir Masih. Nazir was a Christian who was unable to undertake manual labor due to a debilitating injury. In order to earn income for his family, Nazir entered into a partnership with his Muslim friend Muhammad Nawaz. Together, they operated a real estate business for the last ten years.

What happened to Nazir is atrocious. A Muslim butcher named Haider Qasai refused to peacefully resolve disputes on a piece of land and, on April 5, 2016, when Nazir went out to cut grass for his cows, Haider and two other henchmen were hiding and waiting. According to reports given to our office on the ground in Pakistan, they attacked Muhammad first by striking him on the head. When Nazier, saw what happened to his friend and business partner, he yelled for help and attempted to escape. Tragically, Haider quickly captured the Christian man, Nazir, and slit his neck and throat with a sharp knife, leaving him to die in a pool of his own blood.

According to the Asian Human Rights Commission, the murderers shouted a derogatory slur for low-caste Christians as they attacked Nazier, and later tried to justify their brutality by accusing Nazir of blasphemy, using the same laws that have put Asia Bibi on death row. When Nazir’s son went to the police station to file a report, the police refused to do anything. When local Christians protested, a complaint was filed against unknown persons, although there were witnesses to the murder. Reportedly, the family was asked to receive a settlement payment to make the problem go away since the murderers are henchmen for a federal minister and backed by a local political coordinator. The family was threatened with possibly blasphemy charges against them as well.

What happened to Nazir and his family is not an isolated incident. From our work in Pakistan, we know firsthand that the persecution present in this community is representative of large-scale anti-Christian persecution in Pakistan. As the Asian Human Rights Commission reports:

The Christian community has been denied its right to political representation. Faith-based prejudices have been allowed to flourish by the State so that manipulative and coercive authority can be exercised over the minorities.

The Constitution, under Article 25, guarantees equality of citizens stating, “All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.” However, religious discrimination and prejudice continues with complete impunity granted by the State.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Right (ICCPR), to which Pakistan is a signatory, states in Article 26, “All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

The reality however is that these guarantees exist only on paper. And, the Christian community continues to suffer in silence for no fault of theirs.

This is why our work on the ground in Pakistan is so important. This is why we must continue standing up for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. Laws and international treaties are meaningless unless they are enforced. We must stand in the gap for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Pakistan and demand their equal protection under the Constitution of Pakistan and international treaties which protect their rights to practice their religion.

The OLA will continue to help the families of Nazir and Muhammad, and stand ready to help with any legal advocacy that may be needed in the coming weeks. Our office is also fighting to change the very precarious situation for Pakistani Christians as a whole. Will you join us in praying for these Christians as they grieve the loss of their loved one, Nazir, and as they seek to peacefully practice their faith in the midst of a hostile culture?

Also take action with us by signing our petition below.