On Christmas Eve, a night meant to symbolize peace, hope, and the birth of Jesus Christ, blood was spilled in Muridke, Punjab—just forty minutes from Lahore. The victim was Sarfraz Masih, a Christian husband, a father of three, and the sole support of a widowed mother. His crime was neither violence nor provocation. His only “offense” was daring to speak as a Christian in a society where, too often, Christian lives are treated as expendable.
Today, the man accused of killing him, Mohammad Faisal Bajwa, walks free. Worse still, he has reportedly returned openly to the same neighborhood and is issuing direct death threats against Sarfraz Masih’s surviving family. This chilling development raises urgent questions that Pakistan has failed to answer for decades:
Where is the police?
Where is the rule of law?
And where is the value of a Christian life in Pakistan?
Christmas Eve Turned into a Crime Scene
On the night of December 24, Sarfraz Masih was sitting on the rooftop of his modest home with his brother. Like millions of families around the world, they were talking privately—perhaps about family responsibilities, daily struggles, or how to celebrate Christmas with their children despite poverty.
Their conversation harmed no one.
A neighbor, Mohammad Faisal Bajwa, overheard them from his own rooftop and began shouting insults, ordering them to be silent. Sarfraz calmly responded that it was a family matter and none of his business.
That response—spoken by a Christian—was enough to trigger fatal rage.
According to eyewitness accounts, Faisal Bajwa pulled out a firearm and shot Sarfraz multiple times in the mouth, killing him instantly. The execution-style killing occurred openly, from the front of the shooter’s own house.
A wife was widowed in seconds.
Three children were orphaned before Christmas morning.
A grieving mother—who had already buried another son just months earlier—lost her second child.
Sarfraz Masih never lived to celebrate Christmas with his family.
A Pattern, Not an Isolated Incident
This was not a random dispute. It was not mutual violence. It was targeted brutality, reflecting a broader and deeply disturbing pattern of persecution faced by Christians in Pakistan.
International human rights organizations—including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Open Doors—have consistently documented systemic discrimination against religious minorities in Pakistan. Christians, who make up less than two percent of the population, are disproportionately affected by mob violence, false accusations, forced conversions, and failures of law enforcement.
Pakistan regularly ranks among the world’s most dangerous countries for Christians. Christmas, Easter, and even Sunday church services often pass under the shadow of fear.
The murder of Sarfraz Masih fits squarely into this pattern.
Police Failure and the Price of Silence
Immediately after the shooting, Sarfraz’s family called Pakistan’s emergency police number, 15. Shockingly, police reportedly took over ninety minutes to arrive at the scene—more than enough time for the killer to escape.
This delay is not merely negligence; it is a familiar tactic that allows perpetrators to vanish while victims are left helpless.
Even more disturbing were the events that followed.
Instead of swift arrests and protection, the family faced intimidation and coercion. Members of the accused killer’s group allegedly approached the grieving family with a so-called “peace deal,” offering the equivalent of about USD $100—two pots of chicken and rice for a memorial meal—in exchange for withdrawing the case.
This was not reconciliation.
This was an insult to human dignity.
This was an attempt to buy silence with food.
Is this what the life of a Christian father of three is worth in Pakistan?
Killer Free, Family Under Death Threats
The most alarming development is what has happened since.
The accused killer is reportedly not hiding. He has returned openly to the same area where Sarfraz was murdered and is now threatening to kill the entire family if they continue to seek justice.
The family is poor. They are Christian. They are defenseless.
And the killer knows it.
This confidence does not come from innocence. It comes from a broken system—a system where perpetrators of violence against minorities often enjoy impunity, while victims are pressured into silence through fear, poverty, and intimidation.
An Urgent Appeal to the United States and Global Leaders
This case has now become larger than one family. It represents a crisis of conscience for the international community.
We urgently appeal to the Government of the United States and to influential global leaders, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has previously spoken about religious freedom and persecuted Christians worldwide.
We ask that international pressure be applied on the Government of Pakistan and its security institutions to ensure:
Immediate arrest of the accused killer
Full protection for Sarfraz Masih’s family
A transparent judicial process free from intimidation or coercion
This is not about politics.
This is about human life.
This is about faith under fire.
The Cost of Silence
When justice is denied in cases like this, it sends a dangerous message: that Christian blood can be shed without consequence.
What message does this send to the three children Sarfraz left behind?
Who will protect them when threats loom over their home?
Who will provide for their education, food, and safety?
Who will answer their questions when they ask why their father never came back?
Silence empowers the oppressor. Indifference fuels the violence.
A Call to the Global Church and the United Nations
Christians in Pakistan are not asking for pity alone. They are asking for solidarity.
We call on:
Governments committed to human rights
The United Nations and international watchdogs
Global Christian leaders, churches, and organizations
To speak clearly and boldly:
Christian lives matter
Christian children matter
Christian families matter
Religious freedom is not a Western luxury. It is a universal human right.
Please Do Not Scroll Past This
If you believe in Jesus Christ,
If you believe the Church is one body,
Then action is required.
Pray for persecuted Christians in Pakistan
Share this report so the world cannot claim ignorance
Raise your voice with leaders and organizations
Demand accountability from Pakistan’s justice system
Sarfraz Masih should be alive today.
Sarfraz Masih should be alive today.
Justice delayed is justice denied—and for Christians in Pakistan, justice has been delayed for far too long.
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