Islamabad, April 10 – A leading minority rights organization condemned the custodial killing of a Christian man on Friday, just hours after Pakistani police arrested him on charges they described as "fabricated."
According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), police claimed that 42-year-old Iftikhar Masih, the father of four children and a gardener at the University of Lahore, died by suicide while in custody.
However, his family rejected this account, alleging that Masih was tortured to death while in custody.
Citing Iftikhar's brother, Riyasat Masih, the rights body stated that Mohsin Shah, an officer at the Kahna police station in Punjab province, demanded 200,000 Pakistani rupees to "resolve" the case, despite the lack of any FIR or complaint.
"My brother was innocent, a man of unshakeable character," Riyasat was quoted as saying.
After struggling to arrange the bribe, the family was told that Masih "committed suicide," allegedly found hanging from a scarf tied to a ceiling fan.
The rights body stated that Riyasat, upon seeing the body, found bruises, scars, and marks of merciless beating. "There were wounds everywhere," he stated, rejecting the suicide claim.
"There was no post-mortem report, no justice, just stonewalling from those who murdered him in custody. No one came forward, no evidence emerged. It was a trap, a fabricated lie to bleed the family dry. Iftikhar, 42, the provider for his four children, was reduced to a pawn in their corrupt game," the VOPM stated.
"Anger erupted like a storm. Over 300 Christians, hearts ablaze with shared pain, blockaded the station. They halted an ambulance, their cries echoing Iftikhar's innocence—forcing the world to listen. Provincial lawmaker Falbous Christopher stormed in, demanding accountability," it added.
Following the protests over Masih's death, the police filed an FIR against the police officer Shah and his "shadowy" accomplice, while the rights body questioned whether it was sufficient accountability.
Expressing concern over the incident, the VOPM said, "This isn't isolated agony. The shadows of Punjab hide horrors: the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan tallies 924 lives snuffed in police "encounters" in the first eight months of 2023. Extrajudicial killings, bribes, brutality—how many more fathers must die before the system weeps with the widows?"