A Christian Head Master, who was tortured for being a Christian by Muslim teachers working in his school, still facing pressure not to pursue complaint against the perpetrators.
In keeping with details, Saddique Azam who was tortured by four Muslim teachers for being a Christians and appointed as a Head Master of the school in Kasur District. He was remained hospitalized after being severely injured after the Mulism teachers beat him ruthlessly.
The victimized Christian Head Master Saddique Azam says, “On October 1, Muhammad Javed came to my office and told me to write on the school letterhead that he was on duty, so he could be restored. I refused to issue the letter because he was actually absent when the monitoring team was visiting the school.”
Saddique Azam reveals that he is being pressurized to withdraw charges against the four Muslim teachers who had persecuted him. He says he, is left with no choice but to withdraw his complaint.
The incident took place on October 5, when four Muslim teachers namely, Muhammad Javed, Rana Khalid, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Khasif allegedly beat Christian Head Master of a Primary school in Pernawa near Phool Nagar in Kasur District. Saddique Azam the targeted Christian says he is being urged by the District Education Officer to pull out his complaint against the four Muslim teachers who had tortured him. DEO warned him that if he pursues this case, he would have to face charges of taking revenge filed against himself.
According to a statement made by Saddique Azam he was beaten after one of the perpetrators Muhammad Javed urged him to write a letter, giving fabricated justification of Muhammad Javed’s absence from the school. This Muslim teacher had been suspended for being absent from the school without permission.
Saddique Azam reveals that on October 1, when he refused to issue a fake letter, Muhammad Javed got infuriated and said, “Only a mentally sick man would make you, a chuhra (a pejorative term used for Christians), head of the centre!”
Consequently, on October 5, the four of the named Muslim teachers arrived at Saddique Azam’s office and beat him. “They beat me with sticks and hit me with punches and kicks, leaving me black and blue.” Seeing the seriousness of the incident, the rest of the school employees called the police and so the four of them were arrested later on.
“In their presence, I told City Phoolnagar Police Station Officer Hajji Aziz that none of them were beaten, and he could examine them before arresting them.” After the four of the Muslim teachers were hooked by the police, severely injured Saddique Azam was taken to Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. “There my left eye was miraculously saved. But the police released the attackers only four hours later, due to political influence.”
He laments the fact that Christians are not enjoying equal rights in the country and said,“Due to political pressure, the district education officer requested me not to pursue the case. If we had, we could have faced reprisals from our opponents, and local law enforcement agencies and politicians were supportive of them.”
“We are facing several challenges in serving our community. Hatred in terms of ‘untouchability’ against Christians still remains very high in the area,” Azam said. “If you go to the Bagu’s tea stall and tell that you are Christian, then he would order you to pick a cup from the separate crockery for Christians, wash it yourself, then after taking tea you are supposed to wash the cup and put it back from where it was taken. Even in several places in our city, barbers do not cut hair of Christians because they think their tools would become unclean.”
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