Faisalabad: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) demands the justice for Mehwish Iram and Irfan Tariq Masih, who are the recent victims at their workplaces. Mehwish and Irfan are the victims of religious persecutions at their workplaces; a Christian girl was being harassed & blackmailed, and a Christian boy has been subjected to violence.

HRFP is raising and concerning on growing incidents of discriminations, violence and harassments of minority employees at workplaces. Even in high profile jobs also, like Shaukat Masih a deputy Commissioner of Jaranwala faced discrimination, he got attacked on 16 August 2023 and his house was burnt but he was escaped with his family.

As per HRFP’s case studies, there are number of examples that have faced the biased behaviors of employers due to their belief and religious discrimination and with personal grudges by coworkers many have been victimized. Like, Samina Mushtaq, Airport Security officer of Karachi was threatened for accusing of blasphemy on 5 January 2023 when she stopped her coworker from doing anything illegal.

The two nurses Neush and Mariam belonging to Faisalabad were accused of blasphemy on 8 April 2021 at the hospital of Faisalabad during duties. Tabitha, another Nurse of Karachi was accused of blasphemy and subjected to violence in Karachi on 28 January 2021 in the hospital where she works.

Azuba Azeem, Assistant Commissioner of Gujrat revealed during media interview (BBC) on 13 April 2018 that some people have threatened her, “your government's authority will nothing to do with, when you will be targeted of accusing of blasphemy charges”.

In the cases of lower grade jobs, the mostly issues don’t come to record as the employers, coworkers, and consumers keep minority workers under their pressure. The Christian, Hindu, Sikhs, Ahmdiyya’s and other minorities have been victimized through different ways, like accusing them of blasphemy and sexual harassments; the theft allegations are the most common on minority employees at minor jobs places, HRFP cases studies revealed. 

Christian girl Mehwish Iram and Christian boy Irfan Masih are the victims of same, theft allegations with harassments, forcefully conversions and threats as well. Mehwish alleged for theft of PKR. 100000 (Pakistani rupees-cash) and stealing 200000 worth's (Pakistani rupees) valuables like hair color machine and other items like gold’s ornaments from beauty salon and attached home. 

HRFP got a number of examples in case studies that if a Christian employee starts to grow up in career, then the coworkers try to depress them and even says openly that how a Christian could get a job equivalent to them. In Shaukat Masih case in the context of Jaranwala issue, there are some videos on social media where the Islamic clerics are saying openly that, "how a Christian could be deputy commissioner, so being Christian he has to clean toilets only".

In several cases, HRFP observed, the employees belonging to minority community, who refused to do the task have not been stated in their job description, they have been expelled from jobs or accused of false allegations on them. 

Mehwish Iram who just resigned and left the beauty parlor’s job on 28 June 2023 for better opportunity, her employer threatened her.  As she started a new job in another Salon on 5 July 2023, the previous employers Muhammad Usama and Muhammad Yousaf accused her of theft on 9 July 2023 while she was being harassed before, one of the reasons of quitting job.   

Mehwish Iram was arrested but she got a bail on 30 September 2023 as non-guilty in the charges of theft on her. Mehwish Iram is still facing harassments even the former employees have distributed her pictures to area’s parlors to identify her and not give the job opportunity to her.

In Irfan Masih case, due to religious discrimination and subjected him to violence for quitting job, on 18 May 2023 a landlord Athar Bukhari complaints police that Irfan has theft their valuables. Bukhari alleged Irfan for stealing 8 tola gold (93.6 grams) from their house and not coming more from 12 April 2023. After FIR on 12 August 2023, police arrested Irfan Masih. On 25 August 2023, Irfan Masih got bail as non-guilty, but the case is still in a court trials.

HRFP team fact findings both cases, collected the information and evidence that the cases are based of their religion persecution. Both families have visited HRFP office and shared their stories and needs. HRFP is providing possible assistance for them and the situation in which they are in. Mehwish with mother and Tariq Masih, father of Irfan Masih shared with HRFP during office visits that they are innocents and the violations against them are because of their Christian faith & belief.

Mehwish Iram is a mother of two and her husband Salamat Masih had died before. Her case is in a court trial, but she is under threats to step back and compromised what they wanted from her.

Naveed Walter, President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) said that it's a common practice in which people belonging to minorities are falsely accused of theft, blasphemy allegations, subjected to violence and harassed. Only few of them are taken to police, courts for legal proceedings but most of the time the accused compromise with their employers. When the victims forcefully convert to Islam and the females face sexual abuses at workplaces, this kind of discriminations and violations doesn’t register in most of the cases, HRFP added.

Naveed Walter demands for the legislations and implementations, that the laws should be practiced, and the legal actions should be taken in minority employee's cases at workplaces.