By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
SHEIKHUPURA, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A young Christian worker is in critical condition after he was reportedly attacked at his factory in Pakistan’s Punjab province for alleged “blasphemy against Islam.”
Waqas Masih, 22, was still in hospital Monday after a Muslim colleague at the Subhan Allah Paper Mills in the Sharaqpur Sharif area of Punjab’s Sheikhupura District slashed his throat, Christians told Worthy News.
A photo shared with Worthy News showed him connected to an infusion pump, his neck and parts of his arm bandaged.
Friday’s attack happened over allegations that he had committed blasphemy by touching an Islamic textbook “with unclean hands,” Christians said. An eyewitness said, “Waqas collapsed, drenched in blood, with severe injuries to his neck.”
His father, Riyasat Masih, explained in published remarks that the factory’s shift in-charge attacked his son “with a cutter blade, slashing his jugular vein.”
The suspect, who was publicly identified as Zohaib Iftikhar, did not immediately react.
Masih, a member of the Brethren Church and father of six, added that his son “courageously fought back the assailant despite blood gushing out of his throat.”
RUSHED TO HOSPITAL
Mill management rushed Waqas Masih to a nearby hospital for “emergency treatment” that saved his life. They reportedly handed him over to the police.
Masih was later transferred to Mayo Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, where he underwent surgery and was recovering, Worthy News learned.
In comments shared with Worthy News, Waqas’s father asserted “that the attack appeared premeditated” as the Muslim coworker “had frequently instigated arguments over trivial matters” in the days preceding the incident.
Sources told Worthy News that just one day earlier, on March 20, the two had reportedly quarreled over a minor work-related issue.
“The situation escalated when Zohaib accused Waqas of tearing pages from an Arabic textbook on Islamic Studies—a blasphemy accusation that carries severe legal consequences in Pakistan,” said Sardar Mushtaq Gill, the founder of advocacy group LEAD Ministries.
Although initially unable to speak due to his injuries, Waqas regained partial consciousness and requested to confirm the incident in a handwritten statement, Worthy News established.
“The family has categorically denied the allegation, calling it fabricated and malicious,” Gill stressed, adding that Waqas is the eldest of six siblings living in the Sheikhupura District.
CONTRACT WORKER
“He had been working as a contractor in the cardboard packaging department at Subhan Allah Paper Mills for the past six months,” Gill recalled.
“His mother, Bushra Riyasat, has been employed at a private school in Sheikhupura for nearly a decade. Both father and son had worked together in various paper mills to support their family,” Gill explained.
The attack comes at a time of concerns about attacks against Christians on blasphemy charges in the Islamic country.
“It is our shared responsibility to ensure that such acts of violence are not tolerated and the perpetrators are held accountable,” Gill remarked. “No individual should have to live in fear for their beliefs,” LEAD added.
Pastor Imran Amanat, a prominent leader within LEAD Ministries, called “for prayers for Waqas’s recovery and all those subjected to religious persecution.”
He stressed “the importance of unity among compassionate citizens to confront and challenge intolerance in all its forms.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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