Atrocities against religious minorities continue unabated in the terror state of Pakistan. In another such incident, two members of a Christian family were shot for buying a house in a Muslim dominated neighbourhood in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Nadeem Joseph and his mother-in-law Elizabeth Masih were brutally attacked by one Salman Khan and his sons a few days after Nadeem Joseph bought a house in TV Colony in Peshawar, Pakistan on June 4, 2020.
Police have arrested several members of Salman Khan’s family in connection with the incident while he still remains on the run. Police are in the lookout for Salman Khan, who Joseph alleged, started harassing him the day he shifted to the colony.
According to Pakistani activist Rahat Austin, Nadeem Joseph who remained admitted in the hospital after the attack, succumbed to his injuries after he was operated on for the fifth time on June 29, 2020.
Nadeem Joseph was sprayed with bullets few weeks ago just because he purchased a house in a Muslim area and his neighbors didn’t tolerate the presence of a non-Muslim in their neighborhood.
— Rahat Austin (@johnaustin47) June 30, 2020
He remained admitted in the hospital & died during his 5th surgery on June 29, 2020 pic.twitter.com/lMziS666Nk
While in hospital, Joseph in a recorded message had said: “I am feeling scared even in the hospital. I fear my life and my family.”
He added: “I purchased the house in TV Colony a month ago. I still have to make the full payment, but Salman Khan, a Muslim man who lives opposite my house, wasn’t happy about it. He started harassing us and asked us to leave.”
According to reports, Nadeem Joseph had bought a house in TV Colony in Peshawar, which reportedly is a Muslim dominated locality, for about PKR 600,000, and moved into the house with his family in late May.
Salman Khan continued to hound the Christian family in Peshawar, Pakistan
Once Salman Khan, who was Joseph’s neighbour, found out that Joseph and his family were Christians, he started hounding them to leave the locality immediately. Salman allegedly told Joseph and his family that since the entire neighbourhood was Muslim and that Christians (like Jews) are enemies of Islam, they could not stay there.
For days, Nadeem Joseph and his family were threatened by Salman Khan and his sons with serious consequences if they did not leave the house.
On June 4, the day of the attack, Salman Khan went to Nadeem’s house to give him a 24-hour ultimatum. But when Nadeem did not pay any heed to Salman’s threats, the latter along with his sons first shot at Nadeem and then attacked Nadeem’s family members, injuring his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Masih.
“I called police emergency help number 15 but they opened fire,” Joseph said. Joseph was reportedly shot in the stomach and his mother-in-law was hit in her left shoulder.
According to reports, none of the neighbour came forward to help Joseph and his family. After calling the emergency ambulance service, Joseph and his mother-in-law were taken to Lady Reading Hospital, where Joseph succumebed to his injuries on June 29.
Atrocities on minorities continues to be rampant in Pakistan
Pakistan has a history of atrocities against the minority community. While the Imran Khan government makes tall claims regarding the safety and security of minorities in his country, Pakistan has been notoriously indulging in the persecution of religious minorities.
