Shahzad Masih and his wife Shama belonged to Clarkabad, but had settled
in Chak 59, a village near Kot Radha Kishan in Kasur District southwest
of Lahore.
Masih 34 and his wife 31 moved to Chak 59 almost 3 to 4 years ago and started working for Yousaf Gujjar owner of the brick kiln.
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| Protest against the law |
According to the DPO (District Police Officer) Kasur Jawad Qamar,
"Muhammad Irfan a worker at the kiln spread the news that the couple had
brunt the pages of the Quran and they should be punished for this
disrespect and a mob gathered and attacked the couple and killed them."
Shahzad Masih`s brother Arshed Javed said, " On sunday Shama was
cleaning her quarter near the brick kilns and she had found some old
stuff her deceased father in law used, there were some papers and
amulets. She gathered everything and threw away and then latter burnt
the trash. One of the co-workers at the kiln saw the papers that were
burnt and spread the news that Shama had burnt the pages of the Quran,
but actually they were some pages of some magic spells which were with
the amulets which were used by her father in law. The news spread and
the mob gathered early morning on Tuesday and attacked my brother and
his pregnant wife. The mob killed them, desecrated their bodies and
threw them in the kiln."
He further said, " this is a great injustice, my brother and his wife
were falsely accused of blasphemy the police was informed about the
attack, there were 5 policemen present when they were desecrating the
bodies, but they stood there and watched as the mob threw their bodies
in the kiln. We have taken their 3 children who are in the state of
shock due to the incident. We appeal for justice for my brother and his
wife."
Later the police along with the DPO went to the area and scattered the
mob, the security has been increased to control the law and other
situation.
The Chief Minister Punjab took notice of the incident and has formed a
committee to investigate the matter and arrested the culprits.
The police registered a case against the mob and has arrested over 45 people so far to interrogate.
Human Rights Organization Life For All Pakistan has condemned the
incident “This is tragic, attacking and burning the innocent on the
basis if mere accusation is a mockery of the legal system. We have
witnessed in the past that mobs have been pressuring and taking the law
in their own hand, such incidents were not condemned by the religious
leaders which has encouraged this mob to take the law in their hands. If
some concrete action would have been taken in the past such barbaric
incident could have been averted. From a legal standpoint, the
perpetrators of this hideous crime, should be apprehended, tried and
brought to justice for taking the reigns of law into their own hands.
These self-appointed enforcers of the law should be made an example of.
This unlawful yet effective public execution serve as a deterrent for
those who toy with the sentiments of religious believers, test their
patience and antagonize them by desecrating what they cherish above all
else.
In Pakistan even being accused of blasphemy is equivalent to the
sentence itself, we have witnessed that a mob had burnt a mentally
unstable man in Bahawalpur, recently a blasphemy accused was attacked in
the jail by a guard.
On Wednesday we will join the family as they carry out the funeral rites
and we will ensure that the authorities take concrete steps to ensure
that the family gets justice.