In the quiet village of Tarku, nestled near the city of Manawala in Punjab, Pakistan, a painful story has emerged — one that exposes the deep wounds of religious discrimination and human suffering. This is the story of Asif Masih, a humble Christian farmer, a father, and a man of the soil — whose only dream was to cultivate his land and provide for his family. Instead, he was brutally punished for daring to hope.
Asif Masih, around 50 years old and the son of John Masih, had entered into a land agreement with a local Muslim landlord, Muhammad Ilyas. The arrangement seemed fair: after the sugarcane harvest, Masih would pay Rs. 40,000 per acre. But soon, greed reared its head. Ilyas suddenly demanded Rs. 100,000 per acre — an impossible sum for a man whose hands bore the callouses of hard, honest labor.
When Masih tried to reason, Ilyas turned threatening. One of Asif’s cows — his livelihood — was seized. Then came the devastating words: “Your sugarcane now belongs to me.” A land that Asif had toiled over for months was being stolen in front of his eyes. Fear took root. But the nightmare had just begun.
Masih was kidnapped. Ilyas threw him into a car and drove to a lonely canal, spewing threats of death. Stripped of dignity, he was told not to contact his family — to disappear into silence. Then, like a scene from a time long past, Masih was tied with an iron chain and locked away in a cottage, treated not as a man, but as property — as a slave.
What happened to Asif Masih is not just a crime. It is a cry. A cry echoing through the fields of Pakistan, where Christian farmers and brick-kiln laborers, like Asif, live under constant fear — trapped in a cycle of poverty, exploitation, and persecution.
For generations, most Christians in Pakistan have tilled land they do not own. And when one of them dares to rise — to cultivate hope, to claim dignity — the backlash can be brutal. Success becomes a threat. Faith becomes a fault.
Pastor Imran Amanat of LEAD Ministries Pakistan voiced what so many feel but fear to say: “The pain of men like Asif goes unheard. Authorities turn blind eyes. And still, the Christian community bleeds.” His words cut through the silence like a plea — for recognition, for protection, for justice.
Sadly, Asif’s suffering is not an isolated incident. Just weeks ago, Suleman Masih, a 24-year-old Christian farmer, was attacked in Gujranwala for his growing success in agriculture. He succumbed to his injuries on January 1, 2025. Another life was lost. Another dream was destroyed.
These are not just statistics. These are sons, brothers, husbands — human beings whose only crime is their faith.
In a country where religious minorities remain vulnerable, the time to act is now. Behind every case like Asif’s is a thousand others that go unreported, hidden behind walls of fear and injustice. The world cannot afford to look away.
Because somewhere in Punjab, a man is still chained. A field lies abandoned. And a family waits for justice — and for the day when no one will have to suffer for simply being who they are.