Christian dies from mob attacks in Pakistan over blasphemy allegations

On June 3, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, crowds of Christians gathered in the streets of Sargodha city. They came together to honor and say goodbye to one of their own, an elderly community member they called Lazar. As several carried the coffin marked with a large cross, the rest repeatedly raised their arms, shouting “Alleluia”—a verbal reminder of the eternal life we have through Christ’s resurrection.

The scene was dramatically different from those that flooded social media only a week before. Images of enraged mobs brutally and mercilessly beating 73-year-old Lazar (his given name was Nazir Masih), burning down his home and destroying his store. After only a few days in the district hospital, Nazir died from his injuries. And because his family was taken into police custody for their protection and detained for days, Nazir died alone. As he lay in the hospital, his family remained in police custody. As a result, none of his family was able to attend the heavily guarded funeral ceremony.

The senseless events of the last few weeks were instigated by blasphemy allegations against Nazir. News sources reported that the burnt fragments of a Quran were fabricated to set up Nazir. Reportedly, tensions in Pakistan’s 12th largest city had been simmering since the previous Eid celebration following Ramadan. Nazir, who was known as an elder and pillar in the predominantly Christian Mujahid colony in Gillwala, became the focus of the extremist mob’s anger and hate.

The attack

On Saturday, May 25, at 10 am, mobs rallied and attacked Nazir’s family. While his family members managed to escape, with the help of police, the frenzied mob captured Nazir. Reportedly, his son Sultan, 38, made several attempts to rescue his father. But police, with the intention of rescuing Sultan, took him away.

Soon after, the violent crowd began to beat Nazir with sticks and rods, while others hurled stones. Reports have circulated that mobs attacked even the ambulance that transported Nazir to the hospital.

The same day of the attack, mobs burned down Nazir's home where his family of nine lived, including his son, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren, and looted and destroyed the local shoe shop he and his son ran. And in a nearby area, his daughter-in-law’s beauty salon was also attacked. Reports also surfaced that at least 10 other members of the Christian community had to be rescued as violence erupted in their settlement. Our local contacts report that the situation remains tense, and the nearby community of surrounding towns is fearful of what will happen next.

Open Doors World Watch Research analyst, Thomas Muller, points out that Sargodha is one of the hotpots in Pakistan, ranked No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List [add link]. “Unfortunately, the mob`s reaction to an accusation of blasphemy is not surprising,“ he explains. “While police try to quell rioting—as in this incident—they do not always succeed. More worrying [for Christians] and encouraging for perpetrators is that they do not have to face any consequences from their actions.”

Reportedly, police in eastern Punjab have arrested and charged more than 100 Muslim men under anti-terrorism laws for the fatal attack. A district police officer told media that police have registered cases against 500 people for attacking Masih's home.

An eerie echo

The incident is the latest widely reported attack on the Christian community in Pakistan. The violence of the last few weeks brings back eerie echoes of last year’s in Jaranwala [link to Jaranwala report on your website], also in Punjab province, when angry mobs of Muslim extremists attacked churches and hundreds of Christians’ homes. Extremists levied the same accusation: desecration of the Quran.

please pray

Please pray with us for Nazir’s family and friends, the community of Sargodha, and all of our brothers and sisters in Pakistan:

Pray for Nazir’s family as they grieve. Ask God to comfort and strengthen them in the days ahead as they determine next steps for their family.
Pray for this situation in Sargodha and the surrounding towns. Pray that this violence would not spread and escalate.
Pray that Christians will be protected from accusations of blasphemy and mob attacks. Ask God to keep them under His wings (Psalms 91:4).
Pray that believers will hold onto their identity as children of God in a culture that often demeans and devalues them.

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MY MONTHLY GIFT

What happened in Jaranwala and to Nazir and his family is evidence of the risk that Pakistan’s Christians live with every day due to the country’s notorious blasphemy laws. They know that at any given moment, they or a loved one could be falsely accused of blasphemy and lynched by frenzied mobs. In the span of only a few hours, they could lose their home, their business, their church and even their lives. In 2023, Pakistan`s Senate passed a bill to tighten the blasphemy law by (among other things) increasing the punishment from three to ten years’ imprisonment.

Trust and prayer

Still, even with the very real risks of following Jesus, Pakistani Christians continue to trust Jesus and like Nazir’s community, proclaim His name and His promises.