Pakistani Christian Young Man Brutally Tortured and Murdered by Employer

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A young Catholic man in Lahore, Pakistan was tortured and murdered by his Islamic former-employer earlier this month after he resigned to seek a better job, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

Waqas Salamat,18, had worked at a plastic bottle manufacturing factory owned by Haji Muhammad Saleem in Lahore’s Islampura area before leaving on June 1 in hope of finding better-paid work, MSN reports. Waqas came from an impoverished Catholic family that was subject to exploitation by members of the Islamic majority around them.

Angered at Waqas’ departure, Saleem confronted his parents on June 4 and pressured them to make their son return. “When we told him that he didn’t want to come back, Saleem suddenly accused Waqas of committing a theft worth millions of rupees,” Waqas’ mother, Rubina Salamat, told MSN. “We told Saleem that our son was not a thief, but Saleem refused to listen. We even asked him to show us any evidence that incriminated Waqas, but nothing was produced before us.”

On June 6, Waqas was on his way to meet a prospective employer when Umar Saleem, his former employer’s son, saw him. “[Umar] informed his father, and they sent some workers to bring Waqas to the factory,” Rubina told MSN. “Factory workers Shahzad, Bilal and Shani and the two owners started beating my son mercilessly with plastic pipes and other objects,” she said. “My son Awais was also present in the factory and witnessed the entire episode, but there was nothing he could do to save his elder brother.”

Waqas was also tortured by electric shock as well, Rubina said. “The torture was so excruciating that my son collapsed. Seeing the situation, Saleem told my son Awais to clean Waqas’s body with water and then run home and bring us to the factory. As soon as Awais informed me, I ran towards the factory, but my son had succumbed to the torture by that time. There was nothing I could do to save his life.”

The factory owners and workers escaped before the police arrived. A formal investigation has been opened, MSN said.

Muslim-majority Pakistan ranks 7 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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