A photo of the
Christian couple Shama Bibi (left) and Shehzad Masih, who were murdered
in Pakistan after a mob accused them of desecrating a copy of the Koran
A Pakistani labourer and his pregnant wife killed for alleged blasphemy were locked inside a brick-making factory before their murder to prevent them from fleeing their debts, relatives said today.
Shehzad
Masih and Shama Bibi - who was four months pregnant and a mother to
three children - were then beaten, surrounded by a 1,500 strong crowd
and thrown on top of a brick kiln, witnesses said.
The
killing was sparked by the mob's belief the couple had desecrated a
copy of the Koran. By the time the attack was over, only charred bones
and the couple's discarded shoes remained.
The
gruesome incident took place yesterday in the tiny hamlet of Chak 59
near Kot Radha Kishan town, 60 kilometres southwest of Lahore.
A man surveys the site of the brick kiln where the Christian couple were murdered yesterday
Police and locals pictured at the site
of their death. The couple's relatives have claimed the two were
detained by their boss before they were killed because he feared they
would try and flee their debts
Relatives of a Christian couple who
were burnt alive for alleged blasphemy cry at their house in Kot Radha
Kishan, near Kasur, Pakistan
Pakistani Christians lay floral wreaths at the brick kiln where a Christian couple was burnt alive
The killing has sparked protests by Christians and outrage among rights activists, while police have arrested 44 suspects.
Jawad
Qamar, a local police official, has now explained that local suspicions
of blasphemy unfolded more than a week earlier with the death of
Shehzad's father, a local religious healer.
'When
he died, Shehzad's wife went to his room and cleaned up the mess. There
was a trunk in his room. Shehzad's wife took the things that could be
useful and threw the trash in front of her house.
'The
garbage collector collected the trash the next day and told a local
cleric that he had collected pages of the Koran thrown in front of
Shehzad's house from the trash.'
However,
Shehzad's older brother said he and his whole family are bonded workers
paying off their debts to the brick kiln owner - a man named Mohammed
Yousuf.
'We
take advance money from the owner and work for him, it has been going
on for years. On November 3, the owner had called Iqbal and detained
him sensing that he might run away to save his life,' he said tearfully.
The allegation against the factory owner was denied by his son Khawar Yousuf.
He
said: 'We don't know what has happened, the family has been working for
us for 20 years and we have never noticed anything bad.
'It's wrong to say that my father locked them up.'
Members of Pakistan's Christian community protest the couple's murder in Islamabad
Protesters in Faisalabad hold a sign condemning the 'brutal murder' of Shama Bibi and Shahzad Masih
Those who take part in
blasphemy-related mob violence are rarely, if ever, prosecuted. Pictured
are campaigners with a sign calling on politicians to ensure justice is
done
Camera man Malik Abdul Aziz, who witnessed the killing, has described first hand the brutal attack that unfolded.
He
said about 1,500 people gathered from nearby villages after being
stoked up by local clerics who announced the couple had committed
blasphemy over the loudspeakers of their mosques.
'They
started beating the couple with sticks and bricks chanting slogans of
"We will lay down our lives for the honour of the prophet" and then tore
off their clothes.
'The couple were screaming, begging for mercy and saying they have not committed any sin.
'The
mob dragged them for around 20 yards and laid them on top of the brick
kiln oven and kept them there till they were burnt,' he added.
It was not clear whether they were already dead or burnt alive.
Pakistan minority rights campaigners in Kasur, near Lahore, carry a mock coffin in protest
Pakistani
security officials have been placed on high alert since the married
couple were killed near Lahore. Police have arrested 44 people for the
lynching after the couple allegedly desecrated a copy of the Koran
A mob accused the couple of desecrating a copy of the Koran who then beat them and threw them into a kiln
The Christian couple were attacked in the town which is just 50 miles from Lahore and thrown into a kiln
Blasphemy
is a hugely sensitive issue in the majority Muslim country, with even
unproven allegations often prompting mob violence.
Those who take part in the violence are rarely if ever prosecuted - a fact not lost upon the relatives of the deceased.
'I need justice but I am sure I won't be able to get it, the clerics are too powerful,' Shehzad's brother Iqbal said.
Tahir
Ashrafi, a member of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Pakistan's top
religious body, held police responsible for failing to act to protect
the couple before the mob violence occurred.
'This
case must go to a anti-terrorism court and the culprits must be
arrested and punished, including the mullah (who made the blasphemy
accusation in mosque) if he's involved,' he said.
Police chief Qamar stated that no particular sectarian group or religious outfit was behind the attack.
Pakistan's
brick kiln workers are often subject to harsh practices, with a study
by the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan estimating that 4.5
million are indentured labourers.
Punjab
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif constituted a three-member committee to
fast track the investigation of the killings and ordered police to beef
up security at Christian neighbourhoods in the province.
Blasphemy charges, even when they go to court, are punishable by death in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Mohammad
Asghar, left, from Glasgow, was shot last month in a Pakistani prison
while he waited for his execution for blasphemy, his daughter Jasmine
Rana, right, wants an investigation into her father's case
They
are hard to fight because the law does not define clearly what is
blasphemous. Presenting the evidence can sometimes itself be considered a
fresh infringement.
Christians
make up about four per cent of Pakistan's population and tend to keep a
low profile in a country where Sunni Muslim militants frequently bomb
targets they see as heretical, including Christians, and Sufi and
Shi'ite Muslims.
All of Pakistan's minorities feel that the state fails to protect them, and even tolerates violence against them.
Last
month a British man with a history of mental health illness, sentenced
to death for blasphemy earlier this year, was shot by a prison guard in
his cell.
Also
in October, a Pakistani court upheld the death penalty against a
Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who is also accused of blasphemy, in a case
that drew global headlines after two prominent politicians who tried to
help her were assassinated.
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