Wednesday 11 November 2015

A volunteer field coordinator of LEAD survives an assassination attempt


LAHORE: A Christian man, Aslam Masih ,volunteer field coordinator of  the Legal Evangelical Association Development (LEAD), was shot  in the Lahore area on Wednesday ,October 28,2015.

The shooting took place Wednesday ,October 28,2015 at about 10:00 PM , when volunteer field coordinator of LEAD was attacked by a Muslim man Ashfaq alias Shaka along with his three unidentified companions who are said to have shot him with a pistol and thought him dead then fled away.He sustained two bullets wound to his both left and right legs and was rushed to General Hospital Lahore, where he was admitted and operated on to remove the bullets and still one bullet was unable to remove from.

The four Gunmen on  a Jeep came at the home of Aslam Masih,who is a volunteer field coordinator of LEAD, and one of them Shaka forced him to touch his feet and asked for forgiveness why Aslam registered a case FIR No.595/2015 at Police Station Factory Area  against him.When Aslam refused to do so he opened fire at him to kill and injured his both legs.
"They warned and threaten me to call his boss (Sardar Mushtaq Gill Human Rights Defender) and to ask him to save you from us",said Aslam Masih,who is a volunteer field coordinator of LEAD.He added that they threaten him to face dire consequences and fled away away from the crime scene.

The case FIR No. 2209/2015 was registered under Section 324 and 34 PPC at Police Station Factory Area,Lahore against the Muslim allegedly accused Ashfaq alias Shaka and three unidentified.Police is unsuccessful to arrest the assailants.

Aslam Masih is living at LDA Quarters,Lahore and joined LEAD as a volunteer field coordinator from last three years and working in field to collect facts about the cases and issue related human rights violations.On 4 April,2015 at about 11:35 pm,the Muslim man Ashfaq alias Shaka along with his four other companions entered into the Christian residence area Peter Colony,Lahore and started to abuse Christians and to torn Happy Easter banners from walls.Aslam Masih,who is a volunteer field coordinator of LEAD,reached the spot and requested them to avoid to do these things.They threaten with to do same here in this area as happened at Youhanabad Christian area.They opened firing at Christians homes and fled away.

On 5 April,2015,no one willing to be complainant against him to register a case FIR against him due to fear of further attack by him,Aslam Masih,who is a volunteer field coordinator of LEAD,dared to be complainant to register a case FIR No.595/2015 against him and other unidentified.
Aslam Masih,who is a volunteer field coordinator of LEAD,was threaten by these Muslim men many times due to his voice for Christians and as being complainant of the case.Gill asked him why he did not informed us about this dreadful incident timely and he said because he was in hospital and family was too scared to contact any one.Now he is in home for rest and treatment.

Within this year this is the second incident of attack to silent the voices of LEAD on behalf of victims of human rights violations. In the latest attack directed against Human Rights Defender Sardar Mushtaq Gill's brother this year in which his brother was injured one bullet in his lower back.

Sardar Mushtaq Gill,Human Rights Defender,who heads LEAD based in the province of Punjab, that provides legal aid to marginalized people and defends the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan.LEAD has been especially campaigning against the use of blasphemy laws to target minorities, but as they have discovered, this is a dangerous thing to do in Pakistan.LEAD is at ‘Grave Risk’ due to his human rights work for victims.Despite of life threats and attacks against Mr.Gill and his family the human rights work will be continued for persecuted.

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