(The Catholic Herald).
Christians in Pakistan have demanded Punjab officials bring to justice the perpetrators of the brutal lynch mob murder of Nazir Gill Masih in Sargodha. In a report, the Catholic Church’s National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) echoed a statement issued by the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference condemning the murder and the “persistent misuse of blasphemy laws”. The report stated: “swift and impartial justice must be served to restore faith in the legal system… and to hold police officials accountable for their inaction.” It demanded that “no false blasphemy charges be registered against any Christian and that protection be provided to them.” The report outlined the thorough fact-finding carried out by the NCJP into the events leading up to the spurious blasphemy accusation and attack against Mr Masih, and stated that his neighbours “allegedly had a grudge against Nazir’s family, who are relatively well-off, and his shoe business was doing quite well. “There was also a level of jealousy towards this Christian family.”