Muslim mob attacks Christian man's family over debt payment in Pakistan

A Muslim mob in Pakistan attacked a Christian man's family after he sought payment for the money he has loaned to a Muslim man since last year.

According to Barnabas Fund, a group of 12-15 Muslim men led by Muhammad Naveed attacked the house of Jhoora Masih around midnight of June 16 in Punjab province. The attackers opened gunfire, stole some cash, and burned the agricultural laborer family's donkey cart and household items. The mob may have also burned Masih's daughters if not for the intervention of the family's Christian and Muslim neighbors.

The Friday Times reported that the Muslim mob armed themselves with batons, axes and pistols. Masih claimed the attackers also harassed and humiliated women and touched their private parts.

Masih, who suffered a gunshot injury on his hand for trying to protect his eldest son, had gone to Naveed earlier to follow up on the payment of the remaining money that Naveed had borrowed from him last year. He still needed to pay a balance of 26,000 PKR from the loaned 56,000 rupees (£400, $535, €485) but instead of settling the payment, Naveed harassed the Christian man and even threatened him should he continue to ask for the payment.

"My family and I labored in the fields, but when it was time to divide the profits, they refused to give me the Rs 26,000 they owed me," Masih told The Friday Times. "Every time I demanded the money, they beat me up. The police pressured me to make to reconcile with them."

Human rights activist Khalid Shahzad believes the police will only resort to forcing compromise between the Christians and the Muslims unless there will be pressure applied on them.

"The police are not interested in arresting the suspects," Shahzad said.

Authorities at the Saddar Police Station reportedly refused to register the case and only did so on June 18 after considerable pressure from rights activists and local Christian leaders from Lahore. The police did not make any arrests and cast doubts that the attackers had indeed broken into the Christian family's home.

"He had a bullet injury, but he was not even hospitalized. This is a sign that the state machinery is acting with a bias," Shahzad said.