Five Christian Families Freed from Two Decades of Slavery

christian slave family pakistan
Christian slaves, such as this family in this undated picture, are forced to do hard work in Pakistan.

Five Christian families were freed from over two decades of slavery in a Muslim-run brick kiln in eastern Pakistan.
BosNewsLife reported, via Religion of Peace:

Five Christian families have been freed after being held for more than two decades as slaves in a Muslim-run brick kiln in eastern Pakistan, Christian officials involved in the rescue operation told BosNewsLife.

The Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), a major advocacy and aid group, said it provided two vehicles for the May 6 raids at the brick kiln in the industrial city Wazirabad in Punjab province.

Nasir Saeed, a CLAAS director, told BosNewsLife that “a total of eight” Christians were found working as slaves in the area, representing five families.

Some were detained around the brick kiln itself; others at a nearby location linked to the operation’s owner, Gul Nawaz Cheema, he added.

“CLAAS’s staff accompanied the bailiffs to two separate locations” after petitioning the the Lahore High Court, he explained.

POLICE RELUCTANT

There were no reports of arrests, with police allegedly reluctant to further investigate the case.

In statements obtained by BosNewsLife, Christians said they had been “in bonded labour for more than 25 years”. One of the women, Safia Bibi, said she started working at the brick kiln along with her husband Anwar Masih, soon after her marriage.

She said their nine children were all born at the brick kiln where they grew up and soon started working at the brick kiln.

The Christians claimed they lived in a house at the brick kiln without basic facilities such as a bathroom or toilet. Owner Gul Nawaz, whose name was publicly identified, “often made this family work without wages and whenever they tried to leave, he severely tortured them,” CLAAS investigators said.

Christians said they would “sometimes have to go for days without food” and when they demanded money, “were forced to work more”.

HUSBAND DIES

In 2013 Safia’s husband reportedly died due to sickness and weakness because he was forced to work without food. “He was prevented from visiting a doctor, but would not have been able to afford treatment even if allowed,” CLAAS said. “His children were not allowed to attend his funeral and were forced to work on the day.”

Read the rest here.

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

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