Islamabad, April 10 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation on Friday condemned the custodial killing of a Christian man hours after Pakistani police arrested him on what it described as “fabricated” kidnapping charges.

According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), police claimed that 42-year-old Iftikhar Masih, father of four children and a gardener at the University of Lahore, died by suicide inside the jail.

However, his family rejected the 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 post of the Industrial Area Police Station in Punjab province, made a “vile” demand of 200,000 Pakistani rupees to “resolve” the case, despite there being no FIR or complaint.

“My brother was innocent, a man of unshakeable character,” the VOPM quoted Riyasat 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 beatings. “There were wounds everywhere,” he stated rejecting the suicide claim.

“No post-mortem report, no justice, just stonewalling from those who murdered him in custody. No girl came forward, no evidence surfaced. It was a trap, a fabricated lie to bleed the family dry. Iftikhar, 42, a provider for his four children, was reduced to a pawn in their corrupt game,” the VOPM stated.

“Rage 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. Punjab’s shadows hide horrors: the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan tallies 924 lives snuffed in police “encounters” in 2025’s first eight months. Extrajudicial killings, bribes, brutality—how many more fathers must die before the system weeps with the widows?”

–IANS

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