Muslim relatives of the alleged killer of a 20-year-old Christian in Pakistan are threatening the victim’s family with death in the event that they don’t drop charges, sources said.
Muhammad Zubair initially confessed to killing Farhan Ul Qamar in his house in Talwandi Inayat Khan village, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot District, Punjab Province, shooting him within the presence of the Christian’s members of the family on Nov. 9, 2023. He later retracted his confession in court.
The victim’s father, Noor Ul Qamar, said that on the evening of March 18, his family was busy of their routine chores when six armed Muslims led by the alleged killer’s father, Afzal Bajwa, intruded into their house and held all of them at gunpoint.
“The intruders threatened us that if we don’t stop pursuing the case and reach a settlement with them to free Zubair from prison, they’d kill us all,” Ul Qamar told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
The armed Muslims were present of their house when considered one of Ul Qamar’s brothers, a pastor who lives within the neighborhood, called police, he said.
“God knows what would have happened to us if the police hadn’t come on time and took the intruders into custody,” Ul Qamar said. “I filed an application for the registration of a case against them, but as a substitute the police released the lads after just a few hours.”
The head of the police station told him that he had let the armed Muslims off with a warning to not intimidate the family again, Ul Qamar said.
“The accused’s family has a criminal background and are also politically influential, which is probably why the police didn’t take any legal motion against them,” he said.
Area residents have advised him not press charges regarding the armed break-in and death threat because it could endanger his family, he said.
“Zubair’s family began threatening me to withdraw the case a few months after they saw that the hype across the murder had settled down,” Ul Qamar told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “They first sent reconciliatory messages through different people, but after we refused, their tone became more aggressive, they usually threatened to kill me if I didn’t give up to their demand.”
On the night of the killing, Zubair showed hatred for Christians and Jews, mistakenly referring to the family as Jews as he ranted at them before killing Farhan Ul Qamar, members of the family said. Police arrested Zubair from his home just a few hours later, and while in police custody he confessed to killing the Christian. He is awaiting trial in Sialkot District Jail.
Though shaken, the family is set to pursue justice for the killer, Ul Qamar said.
“Zubair’s elder brother and a paternal cousin were gangsters and were killed in police encounters,” he added. “Zubair also has a police record and was involved in several heinous crimes before he committed my son’s murder. We know that if he is just not punished in accordance with the law, no Christian family of our village will probably be secure from his violence.”
Among 20-25 other Christian families within the village, Ul Qamar’s family has resided in the world for generations, often facing religious bias and discrimination.
The youngest of Ul Qamar’s 4 children, Farhan Ul Qamar had been enrolled in a four-year medical technician program and was enthusiastic about becoming a health care skilled after graduation, but all their dreams were shattered in front of their eyes, the grieving father said.
Tehmina Arora, director of advocacy in Asia of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said the crime is a reminder of the vulnerability of Christians in Pakistan.
“Mobs and individual are emboldened because, through the years, the Pakistani government has did not ensure swift prosecution and justice for Christians who’ve been attacked of their homes and churches,” Arora said. “Sadly, even after 10 years of the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court directing the federal government to undertake measures to make sure the protection of non secular minorities, little has modified on the bottom.”
ADF International is supporting the impoverished family’s pursuit of justice through its allied lawyer, Lazar Allah Rakha. He expressed concern for the security of the victim’s family.
“Who will probably be responsible if any member of Ul Qamar’s family is harmed by the accused party?” Rakha told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Families and friends of such criminals can go to any extent to save lots of them from the law. It’s unlucky that not only the complainants but additionally their lawyers and judges hearing the cases are threatened and attacked.”
He said that Christians were particularly vulnerable in Punjab Province, where they’re easily coerced into reaching settlements with suspects belonging to the Muslim majority.
“I fear that the situation may turn into dangerous for them when the trial begins, since the accused party will try their best to influence and intimidate the complainant and prosecution witnesses,” Rakha said. “It can be higher for them to relocate to a secure place during this significant time, because one cannot depend on the police for his or her security.”
ADF International’s Arora added that it was imperative that the Pakistani government take steps to make sure the protection of non secular minorities, and that nobody is targeted due to their faith.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List of essentially the most difficult places to be a Christian, up from eighth the previous 12 months.
