PUNJAB PROVINCE, Pakistan — Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have refused to charge a man who beat and attempted to rape a pregnant Christian woman, killing her unborn baby.
Rakhil Nadeem Masih, a 25-year-old brick kiln worker in Clarakabad village of Punjab province, was eight months pregnant at the time of the attack Nov. 6, 2023. The woman’s husband told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that a Muslim co-worker at the kiln is the assailant.
Masih’s husband said their three other children witnessed the attack in the family’s living quarters on the kiln property.
Masih underwent an emergency cesarean section and was hospitalized for more than a week.
Threats persist
An attending physician said the beating Masih endured is what killed the baby, Masih’s husband told the news service. However, the physician would not sign the medical report stating such because the Muslim owner of the kiln is influential. Masih’s husband also said the police are being influenced the same way.
The family of the attacker is threatening Masih’s family to stop legal action, Masih’s husband said.
Pakistan is No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
Share with others: