Pakistani Christian couple brutally killed by mob for alleged ‘blasphemy’

Murdered father's sister holds the dead couple's baby - one of four children orphaned by the killing

A Pakistani mob beat to near-death a Christian and his pregnant wife for her alleged ‘blasphemy’, then threw them both into the large kiln where they both worked as bonded laborers.

The incident happened on Tuesday 4th Nov, some 60 kilometers from Lahore, the capital of Punjab in central Pakistan - in Chak 59 village, Kot Radha Kishan.

The couple originally belonged to the historic Christian village Clarkabad, only 4 kilometers from Chak 59. Several incidents of communal violence have taken place between Christians of Clarkabad and Muslims of surrounding villages in the recent past.

Their lives could have been saved if they’d fled after her alleged ‘burning of the Qur’an’, but the brick-making kiln owner refused to let them leave without re-paying their bonded loan. This is a traditional method still used to enslave laborers across India and Pakistan, although officially illegal in Pakistan. The practice is recognized by the UN as a form of ‘modern slavery.’ (See below) Read more

Photo: Asif Aqeel