KASUR: Saleem Masih, 22, christian labourer, who was brutally tortured by local landowners in Kasur three days ago on accusations that he had ‘polluted’ their tube-well water by bathing in it, succumbed to his injuries on Friday.
The local police has been accused to have supported the accused persons for being influential in the area. Killing of a man for polluting tube-well waters raises serious questions over the state of governance in Pakistan if the powerful landlords concerned with such brash acts are not brought before the law.
It’s only been a few days since Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted in support of upholding minority rights while condemning the actions against Muslims in India. He had been lauded with praise and all of a sudden, Pakistan became a the most safest place for minorities. However, that moment ended and we’re plunged back into the reality where we don’t treat out minorities well enough to be saints and point fingers at another country.
Another mob lynching in Kasur after burning a Christian couple alive in a brick kiln in 2014.
A 22 year old Christian man Saleem Masih has been beaten to death for bathing in the tubewell and “dirtying” the water. https://t.co/aHaH3sIlnf
SPREAD THE WORD— Safa Imran (@notsafaimran) February 28, 2020
“They cursed and abused Saleem for ‘polluting’ the water, calling him a ‘filthy Christian,’” Masih claimed, adding that the assailants then dragged the youth to their cattle farm, where they chained his hands and feet and continued to torture him with sticks and rods. “They also rolled a thick iron rod over Saleem’s entire body, causing multiple fractures and internal injuries.”
Saleem’s father added that the Muslim landowners abused Saleem and called him a ‘filthy Christian’ for polluting their water. He said that he was then dragged to the cattle farm, chained and beaten with a rod. When they were informed about his situation, they rushed to the cattle farm and found him in a pool of blood.
