Pakistani Christian attacked by mob over blasphemy allegations dies of his injuries – JURIST

A Pakistani Christian who attacked by a mob last month after being accused of blasphemy, has succumbed to his injuries, local media reported Monday. Nazir Masih, 72, suffered severe head injuries during the May 25 attack and underwent two surgeries before his death. He was buried in Sargodha, a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab.

Masih was injured after more than 100 men attacked He and his son were charged with desecrating pages of the Holy Quran, Islam’s holy book. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, introduced in the 1980s, prohibit insults to Islam. Anyone found violating these laws can be sentenced to death.

Local media say Police have filed charges against 500 people for the attack on Masih, his son and their house. The identities of the suspects have not yet been disclosed, but the participants in the mob According to reports belong to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a far-right party known for its radical extremist ideologies and violent protests against any change to the blasphemy law in Pakistan. The group was previously Registered a blasphemy case against Masih.

The incident highlights the plight of religious minorities in Pakistan, where 96.47 percent of the population identify as Muslim and Christians make up just 1.27 percent of the country’s population. Christian groups say the community regularly faces religious persecution – including mass abductions, physical violence and social discrimination. In April teenager Ashbeel Baber Ghouri was arrested for blasphemy after he criticized polygamy, which is permitted under certain interpretations of the Islamic faith, in a conversation with his Muslim friend.

Following the attack and Masih’s death, Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Ashrafi said expressed expressed his deep sadness over the killing, calling the attack “unlawful” and “illegal” and demanding justice for Masih and his family. The Ulema Council is a Muslim organization whose members include Islamic clerics and jurists from various Islamic traditions. Commenting on Masih’s death, Ashrafi said Muslim citizens and the state had a duty to protect non-Muslims in Pakistan.

In addition, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) published a study report Discussion of the May 25 mob outbreak. The HRCP concluded that it was “highly likely” that the May 25 attack was directed against Nazir Masih’s family. It began as a personal dispute that was “given a religious veneer” to “exercise maximum influence”:

Despite Nazir Masih’s death, the Punjab government has attempted to downplay the incident, reportedly banning press coverage and failing to clearly condemn the incident. We have seen this pattern of violence before. We should not have to see it again and again.