Pak SC acquits convicts in Christian couple’s lynching; church alleges denial of justice: Report

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court has overturned the sentences of the final three men convicted in the 2014 murder of a Christian couple, a decision that has once again drawn criticism from Church leaders who say religious minorities in the country are routinely denied justice after being targeted in incidents of violence, according to a recent report.

The victims, 26-year-old Shahzad Masih and his 24-year-old pregnant wife Shama Bibi, were brutally killed after being thrown into a brick kiln furnace on November 4, 2014, in Kasur district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Masih and Bibi, who worked as labourers at a local brick kiln, were falsely accused of desecrating pages of the Quran, according to a report published by PJ Media.

The report stated that the owner of the brick kiln allegedly stopped the couple from fleeing because of a financial dispute. It further alleged that a local Islamic cleric used the mosque loudspeaker to incite people against the couple.

Soon after, a mob of more than 1,000 people reportedly gathered at the site. The couple was allegedly beaten and tortured before being thrown alive into the blazing industrial brick kiln, where they were burned to death.

According to the report, the apex court also dismissed the Punjab provincial government’s appeal challenging the acquittal of 102 other people accused of participating in the attack. As a result of the latest ruling, no individual remains convicted in the murder case of the Christian couple.

Following the killings in 2014, an anti-terrorism court had convicted several accused persons, awarding the death penalty to five men while sentencing eight others to two years’ imprisonment.

However, over the years, higher courts gradually set aside most of the convictions, citing deficiencies in evidence and shortcomings in the prosecution’s case. In 2018, another court acquitted 20 additional accused.

Reacting to the verdict, senior Catholic Church leaders expressed disappointment, saying the ruling reflected a continuing pattern in which Christians and other minority communities fail to receive justice after targeted attacks.

In conversations with the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Samson Shukardin, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, and Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said the acquittals reflected a broader trend in which arrests are initially made after incidents of mob violence, but most of the accused are eventually released.

Responding to the Supreme Court’s decision, Bishop Shukardin said, “Shahzad and his wife, Shama, who was pregnant, were thrown into the fire alive. In the end, what is the result of all these efforts towards justice?”

The Bishop of Hyderabad also remarked, “People feel they have no voice; that no one is listening. They cry to be heard.”

Bishop Rehmat also criticised the verdict, telling ACN, “We are deeply disappointed that after 12 years, history has yet again repeated itself – those who have suffered are the ones who suffer yet more discrimination and humiliation.”

Both bishops alleged that this pattern has become common in cases involving attacks on minority communities, claiming that although arrests are made immediately after violent incidents, many suspects are eventually acquitted or have charges against them dropped during the judicial process.

Bishop Rehmat also referred to another judgment delivered on July 13 by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad in connection with the August 2023 Jaranwala violence in Punjab, during which 26 churches and more than 80 Christian homes were attacked.

In that case, one man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of using a crane to damage church buildings, while 12 other accused were acquitted.

Questioning whether the convicted individual would ultimately remain behind bars, Bishop Rehmat said he believed the man would eventually be released.

“Those who destroy our churches, desecrate our Holy Bibles and burn our homes are given freedom. On the other hand, those who suffer pain and tragedy are given no hope. They are abandoned,” he added.

The latest verdict has once again reignited concerns among Christian leaders and rights advocates over accountability in cases involving violence against religious minorities in Pakistan, with Church representatives maintaining that justice continues to remain elusive for victims and their families.

Earlier this month, at least two young Christian men were fatally shot in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The incident reflected persistent threats to lives faced by the religious minorities across the country.

According to a rights body, Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), 21-year-old Ayush Masih and 24-year-old Domnik Masih were shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles in the Shamsabad area of Mastung district in Balochistan, just a few kilometres away from a Christian neighbourhood.

Recently, a report highlighted that over 24 Christian families have been forced to flee their homes in Pakistan after allegations of blasphemy against a pastor living in the US sparked fears of mob violence.

Around 35 to 40 Christian families reside in Jhulan village. After the announcements in the mosque, police advised Christian families to leave their homes as a precaution against possible violence, according to the report.

IANS