In a harrowing and deeply disturbing incident, a Christian family from Chak 361, Gojra, Punjab, has been forced to flee their home due to months of relentless abuse, harassment, and exploitation. The family had been living in servant quarters on a cattle farm owned by a Muslim landlord. For them, what began as an attempt to cover medical expenses and wedding costs soon spiraled into a nightmare of violence, threats, and sexual abuse, all because of an insurmountable debt they owed their employer.
On June 10, 2025, the family, now hiding in a safer location, shared their story. Pervaiz Masih, the 52-year-old patriarch, spoke of the abuse they endured at the hands of Muhammad Maqbool Lamberdar, the landlord. The debt of Rs. 850,000 (£2,450) had become an anchor around their necks, pulling them into a situation where they were trapped, much like bonded laborers. The money was borrowed to cover essential medical bills and wedding costs, but it was a debt that slowly drained them of their dignity and peace.
Pervaiz’s voice trembled as he recalled the violent encounters. “He [Muhammad Maqbool] violently beat my son,” he said. “He would kiss my daughter-in-law’s face, hug her, demand that she make him a drink, and sit near him. He was always drunk. We could no longer endure the humiliation. We escaped for our lives.”
Somika Masih, the 22-year-old daughter-in-law, was especially targeted. A newlywed, she had barely settled into her life with her husband, Zohaib, when the harassment began. “Mr. Lamberdar would try to kiss me, hug me, and touch me,” Somika recalled. “He would say indecent things and verbally abuse my mother-in-law. He often sent my husband away so he could be alone with me.”
Pervaiz’s wife, Shabana Bibi, 50, also bore the brunt of this cruelty. In an act of desperation, she stepped in to work in place of her son and daughter-in-law when they were unable to. The retaliation she faced was unspeakable. “I can’t even describe the things he said,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “He told me, ‘Your son cannot repay the loan, so I will convert your daughter-in-law to Islam and marry her off to someone who can.’”
Despite the family’s attempts to report the abuse to Maqbool’s elders, he faced no consequences. His wealth and influence allowed him to avoid accountability by swearing false oaths, intensifying the abuse. The family, worn down by months of terror, fled in the dead of night, leaving behind all their belongings and any hope of recovering their wages.
Now, living with relatives in a safer location, the Masih family faces the challenge of surviving on just Rs. 15,000 (£42) a month. With no means of repaying the debt or seeking legal justice, their future remains uncertain. They are trapped not only by their poverty but by a society that fails to protect its most vulnerable members.
Juliet Chowdhry, a trustee of a prominent human rights organization, voiced her outrage, condemning the system that allows such exploitation to thrive. “This case highlights the way debt bondage in Pakistan doesn’t just trap Christian workers in economic slavery; it humiliates them emotionally, sexually, and spiritually,” she said. “The attempted coercion of a young Christian woman into forced conversion and prostitution is a heinous crime—and it’s just one of many unreported. We will stand with this family and pursue justice. No one should suffer like this because of their faith or poverty.”
This family’s tragic ordeal is a chilling reminder of the systemic abuse that continues to torment marginalized communities in Pakistan, where debt bondage, religious intolerance, and gendered violence intersect in the most cruel and dehumanizing ways.