Dear friends,
We wish to share with you the following statement from Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS).
Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong
A Statement from Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
On October 05, 2011, a Christian village Chak No 134/16-L was attacked and seized by Muslim land grabbers in Mian Chanuu-Punjab. Shortly, Mr. M.A Joseph Francis MBE (National Director CLAAS) was informed about the attacked. Following the incident a CLAAS fact-finding team headed by Mr. Nadeem Anthony Advocate (Research Officer Mr. Asher Sarfraz (Field Officer), Mr. Roheel Samuel (Social Worker) and Mr. John Paul visited the place of occurrence and meeting with connected people in particular the seriously injured Christian’s men, women and the children.
According to the Christian residents the Chak No 134/16-L, is a Christian village. According to the village rules the government allocate a piece of land for used as resident of Mistri or Kami (a mason, skilled craftsperson, carpenter, blacksmith, peasants who helping the hand for farmers in the (cultivation) of the village. The said piece of land was fallaciously sold by Muhammad Iqbal to Muhammad Ansar son of Muhammad Ramzan and Abdul Rehman alias Abadi. As village rule no one can sell the said government’s allotted piece of land to other but Muhammad Iqbal in collusion with the Patwari (a land record officer) sold the said piece of land to Muhammad Ansar and Abdul Rehman alias Abadi for Rs 130,000/- US dollar $1500 approximately. After selling the land Muhammad Iqbal shifted in another village and the Christian villagers appointed Kashif Adeel Masih for their next Mistri or Kami.
When Muhammad Ansar and Abdul Rehman alias Abadi came to know about the living of Kashif Adeel Masih at the said property and on October 05, 2011 on the day of the incident Muhammad Ansar and Abdul Rehman alias Abadi cast Gagdana along with 602 in numbers of influential landlords, land grabbers as well as nominated criminals riding on tractor trolley, two cars and number of motorcycles fully equipped with deadly weapons forcedly entered the said property. The attackers’ state away started throwing the households in the street, tortured and harassed the female family members namely Parveen Bibi aged 35 w/o Kashif Adeel, his sister-in-law Violet aged 40 and Easter aged 17 and also disrespect the family. When the fellow villagers heard the hue and cries of the family, they immediately rushed for rescue the aggrieved family.
When the attackers saw the Christian villagers, they violently opened fire on them and resultantly a Christian youth Saqib Masih alias Sabir aged 22 s/o Bashir Masih, was brutally gunned down and died on the spot. Those Christian men, women and children who sustained severe injuries were identified as:
Apart from the aforementioned fatality the critical injured persons were as:
Mr. Haroon Bashir aged 17 s/o Bashir Masih
Dawood Masih aged 12 s/o Budhu Masih
Danish Masih aged 12 s/o Younas Masih
Andleeb Masih aged 30
Ms. Razia aged 18
James Jacob aged 45
Ms. Josephine aged 36
Ms. Saleema Bibi aged 28
Asif Sharif aged 29
Ms. Saraphine aged 30
Frank Akbar aged 13
Raheel Shahbaz aged 10
Shahzad alias Lala aged 13
Ms. Elizabeth aged 50
Muskan aged 01 year
Waseem Iftikhar aged 18
Pastor Michael John aged 31
Maqbool John aged 55
Tariq Masih aged 30
Irfan Mansha aged 19 3
Yaqoob Patras aged 35
Kamran Binyamin aged 08
Ms. Nasreen aged 32
Suleman Maqbool aged 25
Waseem Ayub aged 22
Nathenial Pervaiz aged 26
Suleman Masih aged 15
Haroon Masih aged 25
Haroon Sadique aged 24
Afzal Rafique aged 33
Kashif Munir aged 24
Arif Sharif aged 24
Ms. Shagufta Irshad aged 25
Babar Masih aged 32
Ms. Martha Bashir aged 45
Ms. Farhat Saleem aged 40
Adeel Kashif Masih aged 45
A total of 38 persons.
The Christian villagers informed that they by self took the injured Christians and rushed to the Civil Hospital Mian Channu City and later the seriously injured Christians referred to the District Hospital Khanewal and in the Nishtar Hospital Multan too. The CLAAS team visited Haroon Bashir, Dawood Masih, Danish Masih, Andleeb Masih, Ms. Razia, and James Jacob in the hospital and found that the all injured persons lying in beds were in critical condition. The CLAAS team expressed their grief concerns over the critical conditions of the seriously injured persons admitted in the Nishtar Hospital Multan.
In the point of fact that the case is a police case but they were medically treated like as ordinary patients. The aggrieved family complained over the lack of interest of the doctors as well as over the poor medical care by the hospital medical facility.
Afterwards when the main accused persons Muhammad Ansar and Abdul Rehman alias Abadi killed Saqib alias Sabir, they did not allow anyone to take the dead body of the deceased Sabir Masih. Later the attackers occupied the said property and when the Christian villagers barricade the said property than the criminal assailants confined themselves in the rooms. Later the police cordon of the place of occurrence and managed to arrest the following armed assailants:
Muhammad Ansar
Abdul Rehman alias Abadi
Muhammad Anwar
Muhammad Ramzan
Shahmand Haq Nawaz
Iqbal Allah Dad
Ashraf Muhammad Baksh
Imam Bakash 4
Allah Bakash
Allah Dad Sardar
Hamid Nawaz
Muhammad Islam Sultan
Akram Manzoor
A total of 13 persons.
While the other nominated accused immediately escaped from the place of occurrence. On the same day October 05, 2011 Bashir Masih deceased’s father filed an application against the accused persons and a case FIR No 432/2011 offences under sections 302,324,448,511,452,148,&149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) registered against the accused persons at the Police Station Saddar Mian Channu, District Khanewal. The CLAAS team visited the concerned police station and meeting with Muhammad Anwar Shakir (Investigation Officer) and he up-dated the CLAAS team that the police party is raiding at their house for their arrest. He assured that the police will deal the matter according to law.
Please pray for the injured Christians that May the Lord our God cure the innocent victim of violence soon. Also pray for the aggrieved family of Sabir Masih who lost his life in this bloodshed that Heavenly Father accepts his soul for eternal rest and peace.
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