Claim: Lazar Masih and his son Nazir Masih were killed in Sargodha in a lynching attempt by the residents of Mujahid colony in Sargodha.
Fact: Lazar Masih was not murdered, nor was his son Sultan. Lazar Masih, also known as Nazir, who was attacked and left injured, but alive.
On 27 May 2024, a photograph of a man lying down on the floor, surrounded by people who seem to be his family members went viral with the following caption:
“Once again, an out-of-control Muslim mob killed an innocent Pakistani Christian Nazir Masih (a local shoe owner) alive in Sargodha over false blasphemy allegations. His son was also murdered
The mob, incited by accusations, attempted to burn the houses and harm the Christian community nearby. Several Christian homes are vandalized and there is more chance of casualties.
We pray for the Christian people of Pakistan, especially for Sargodha, the situation is looking very tense. Continue to keep PRAYING for our innocent and helpless brothers and sisters.”
The Instagram post includes several more videos and photographs of the Sargodha incident. These include photos of Lazar Masih, injured and bloodied, videos of the mob vandalising shops and setting products on fire, as well as a crowd gathered around Masih. One of the images shows the inside of an ambulance that was attacked while taking Masih away, and some other photographs show a large fire.
Update: On 3 June 2024, 4 days after this article was published, Dawn reported that Masih died of his injuries.
Sargodha incident
On 25 May 2024, a large group of people attacked and tortured a 73-year-old Christian man, Lazar Masih, also known as Nazir, in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha. According to the Cecil and Iris Chaudhry Foundation’s fact-finding report, in the morning of 25 May, an allegation of blasphemy was announced via loudspeakers asking residents to gather in front of Masih’s shoe shop in the neighbourhood.
Following this, a mob attacked and critically injured Masih until a special police unit arrived to take him in an ambulance to DHQ hospital, where the mob gathered again. After this, he was transferred to CMH Sargodha and then to CMH Rawalpindi, where he is currently under treatment.
Our fact-check published here, narrates in comprehensive detail the events which transpired, leading to Masih being taken to the hospital.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-mage searched the photograph in the claim but did not find any other instances of the picture having been shared. While we can not say with certainty whether this photograph is associated with the Sargodha incident, we have verified the contents of the caption accompanying the image and found them to be false.
The fact-finding report by CICF states: “Lazar Masih is in CMH Rawalpindi in an extremely critical condition. His family – wife, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren are in protective custody at an unknown location. The mainstream media covered the story, but there is uncertainty about Lazar Masih’s condition. He was brutally tortured and injured, and there are demands for proof of his life as the administration and government are reluctant to share details about his health and whereabouts.”
In addition to this, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also visited the site of the incident and one member of this mission, Asad Jamal, confirmed to Soch Fact Check that both the son and the father are alive.
Voice.pk published this report on 25 May 2024, titled “SARGODHA: Christian man ‘critical’ after mob attack.” The report states that two Christian men were attacked by a mob in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha. Father David John, a parish priest from the St Francis Xavier Church, is quoted saying, “Lazar Gill who was also known locally as Nazir Masih, a 60-year-old man, was accused of burning pages from the Holy Quran. There have been videos circulating showing these burnt pages, however these are unclear and if true, there is no evidence that Lazar Gill was behind it.” This clarifies that Lazar Masih, Lazar Gill, Nazir Masih, are various names used to refer to the same man who was the injured shown in the videos. Father David Johnalso confirmed to Voice.pk that Masih was alive. Another Christian rights activist, Tariq Mehmood Ghauri was reported saying, “He is alive but in a critical condition and has been shifted to the Civil-Military Hospital, Sargodha.”
In this video Masih’s daughter Rehana and her father-in-law state that her father Lazar Masih was brutally injured and is in critical condition while his son Sultan was also attacked by the mob, but not as severely as his father.
Dawn.com also published this report on 27 May 2024, clarifying that the Christian man and son, subjected to mob violence in Sargodha were not killed. The report states that Masih’s nephew told Dawn that his uncle was “fine and alive” and has been moved to a different hospital to continue his treatment.
Virality
The claim was shared on Facebook here.
It was shared on Instagram here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: A Christian man and his son who were attacked in Sargodha due to a blasphemy allegation are not dead, however, Lazar Masih is critically injured and currently recieving treatment.
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Background image in cover photo: Pakistan Christian Post
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