Pakistan: suspicious circumstances in a Christian's death

On March 7, a Christian man died under suspicious circumstances in Youhanabad, near Lahore, Pakistan, following Muslim death threats.

According to sources in Pakistan, Mukhitary Masih was 37-year-old man residing in Youhanabad. Some 12 years ago, Mukhitary bought land from Shafi Mayo - a Muslim land lord and a real estate dealer. A contract was signed for the payment of installments over a span of 10 years so that he would then receive title and deed to the property.

Having paid the installments for 10 years, Mukhitary then demanded title to the land. However, Shafi Mayo allegedly delayed transmission of the title with legal maneuvers for 2 years.
When Mukhityar filed a complaint at the Youhanabad Police Station, the SHO (Senior House Officer) accepted the complaint and registered a FIR (First Information report) against Shafi Mayo. When police went to arrest Shafi Mayo, he had escaped.

According to a report from Pakistan, on May 7 Shafi took 20 armed gunmen to Masih`s house and threatened to him at gunpoint to rescind the complaint or face dire consequences. According to a reporter, Mukhityar fainted and fell on the floor, having suffered a fatal heart attack.

Mukhityar`s family took his body and displayed it on the road to Ferozepur, demanding the arrest of Shafi Mayo and his allies. Christian organizations protested with the grieving family and demanded justice. Incidents of persecution of Christians are increasing in the Punjab Province of Pakistan.