On May 25th, Yasir Masih, a 37-year-old Christian sweeper working for the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) in Union Council 167, was kidnapped and held hostage by the sons of an influential Muslim, Malik Khadim Hussain.
Around 7:00 am, while performing his duties in his assigned area, Yasir Masih was approached by Malik Khadim Hussain and his son. They demanded that he follow them to their residence to clear a sewer blockage. Yasir explained that he could not leave his area without his supervisor taking a picture of him working; otherwise, he would be marked absent and face a pay cut. He assured them that he could attend to their request after completing his assigned duties and having his presence marked by his supervisor.
This reasonable request infuriated Mr. Malik and his sons, who began verbally abusing Yasir Masih. Mr. Malik shouted disrespectfully:
“You Chuhra [a derogatory term used for Christians in Pakistan], how dare you refuse us?” shouted Mr. Malik. One of his sons then pulled out a pistol, pressing it against Yasir Masih’s temple and forcing him to sit on the back seat of their motorbike.
They took Yasir to their residence, where they unleashed a brutal attack on him. Mr. Malik, along with his two sons and accomplices, Muhammad Danish and Muhammad Hammad, chained Yasir’s feet with an iron chain and beat him for hours.
“Show this worthless Chuhra what the result of disobeying me is,” Mr. Malik told his sons.
“They locked me inside a room on the upper story of the house,” Yasir Masih recounted to BACA. Fueled by religious pride and hatred for the poor sweeper, Mr. Malik and his sons mercilessly beat Yasir.
“They beat me with punches and kicks. No part of my body was left without receiving a beating. My head started bleeding,” Yasir detailed.
The torture continued until 3:50 pm when Yasir fell unconscious, prompting the culprits to leave the room.
Yasir Masih told BACA that around 5:00 pm when he regained some consciousness, he found himself alone in the room. Despite his feet being tied with a chain, he somehow managed to make his way downstairs with great difficulty. Once he exited Mr. Malik’s house, Yasir again fell unconscious on the road.
A community member informed Hussain Masih, Yasir’s father-in-law, that Yasir was lying unconscious outside Malik Khadim Hussain’s house. Hussain Masih, along with his relatives, immediately arrived at the scene, where a crowd had already gathered around Yasir.
“We called 15, but nobody answered the call,” said Hussain Masih. “He regained consciousness after we sprinkled water on him and gave him some water to drink.”
Hussain Masih then took Yasir to Sher Shah Road, where Yasir’s family and community members protested against the brutality of Malik Khadim Hussain and his accomplices. Upon learning about the protest, the police arrived and instructed the family to remove the shackles from Yasir Masih’s feet.
Yasir Masih was taken to Mayo Hospital for treatment, where he was found to have severe injuries on the left side of his face, under his eyes, and on his cheeks, along with marks of violence on his chest and back. The police registered a First Information Report (FIR No. 1509/24) against Malik Khadim Hussain, his two sons, and accomplices Muhammad Danish and Muhammad Hammad under sections 355, 342, 144, 149, 506, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The police raided Malik Khadim Hussain’s residence and arrested him, Muhammad Danish, and Muhammad Hammad, while his sons remain fugitives and are being actively searched for by the authorities.
Yasir Masih, who has worked for the Lahore Waste Management Company for the past seventeen years, lives in a rented house in Gujar Pura, Lahore, with his wife Chanda Bibi (27), daughter Victoria (12), and three sons, Shamoon (10), Samson (9), and Sunny (6). He works hard to make ends meet for his family.
“The unwarranted violence against a Christian sewage worker for simply refusing to obey the orders of a Muslim man who asked him to undertake unauthorized work is pernicious and appalling. It illustrates the pariah status of Christians, whom Muslims believe they can treat brutally at a whim, a persecution they would not even inflict on animals.
“Christians in Pakistan endure a lowly status due to a combination of illiteracy and poverty, compounded by the caricaturing and demonizing of minorities in Pakistan’s curriculum and religious establishments. Years of inaction by law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, and the government have fostered a sense of impunity when attacking minorities, especially Christians.
“Even with the spotlight on Pakistan’s failing human rights record, it continues to be lauded by members of the UN and other international bodies. This palpable mistake by international bodies has allowed the social malaise to fester and has irreversibly corroded the nation of Pakistan.”
