Muslim Employer in Pakistan Kills Christian Farmhand for Working Elsewhere, Relatives Say

LAHORE, Pakistan, May 28, 2019 (Morning Star News) – A Muslim landlord outside Faisalabad, Pakistan tortured a worker to death for daring, as a “lowly Christian,” to work for another employer, relatives said.

Javed Masih, a Catholic in Nulka Kohala village, a suburb of Faisalabad in Punjab Province, on May 10 had sought a 10,000-rupee loan (US$66) from his employer, Chaudhry Abbas Jutt, for medical treatment for his physically handicapped, 6-year-old son, Masih’s wife said.

“The landlord not only refused to give Javed the money, he also admonished him for not paying back 5,000 rupees [US$33] that he owed him,” Ghazala Javed, 25, told Morning Star News.

When Jutt refused, her husband approached another landlord in the village, Chaudhry Muhammad Tariq Jutt, and obtained a 25,000-rupee loan (US$166) for working his land. In Pakistan, workers obtain loans at excessive interest while working at artificially low wages, ensuring a cycle of debt and dependence.

On the morning of May 16, Abbas Jutt summoned Masih to his house for “settling his account,” Ghazala Javed said.

“My husband went to Jutt’s house along with his nephew Saleem Masih, telling us that they would return in an hour after paying back the debt,” she said. “However, Saleem returned home after half an hour. He said that Jutt had sent him back, saying that he needed…