Sargodha, Pakistan – An appalling incident unfolded in Sargodha, Punjab, as Nazir Gill Masih, the owner of a shoe factory in Gillwala colony, was viciously attacked by Islamic extremists on Saturday, May 25. The assault came after Masih was accused of blasphemy for allegedly burning pages of the Quran.
A frenzied mob descended upon Masih’s family, looting and setting fire to their factory and home. While ten family members managed to escape unharmed, Nazir Gill Masih sustained severe injuries before police intervened, rushing him to a hospital for urgent medical attention.
Naeem Yousaf Gill, the executive director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), suggested that the attacks may have been motivated by commercial rivalries and personal disputes rather than genuine religious outrage.
Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, deeply disturbed by the incident, promptly traveled to Sargodha to assess the situation. He emphasized the inhumanity of the attack, expressing concern over the lawlessness prevailing in Pakistan. Urging authorities to ensure a fair investigation, he called for preventative measures to curb such incidents.
Multiple sources confirmed that Nazir Gill Masih is currently in critical condition in the intensive care unit, with reports indicating that another individual who tried to rescue him was also assaulted by the mob. The rest of the family, fortunately, escaped physical harm and is now under police protection.
Blasphemy in Pakistan carries severe penalties, including death or life imprisonment. However, the law is often exploited to settle personal vendettas, leading to false accusations and incidents of mob violence. Professor Shadid Mobeen, a contributor to ACN’s Report on Religious Freedom and a relative of the victim, stressed the importance of international pressure on Pakistan to safeguard its religious minorities from extremist tendencies.