Man tortured for embracing Islam in Pakistan

Asghar Maseeh Bhatti, who along with his wife and three children embraced Islam recently, has appealed to the authorities to protect him from the injustices of his elders and rivals.

Talking to reporters outside the Peshawar Press Club on Friday, Asghar Maseeh, now Sheikh Abdur Rehman, showed signs of torture on his body, saying that his elders had not only expelled him from service but also tortured him for embracing Islam.

Sheikh Abdur Rehman, who has done his FSc, said he decided to embrace Islam after listening to speeches of Maulana Tariq Jamil and Dr Zakir Naik. His wife, also agreed but now her parents and elders of the community were creating hurdles for them by dragging them in the court of law.

“She also recorded her statement in the court that she was willing to live with me,” he said.

He appealed to the chief justice to protect him from the injustices of his elders, including Robert Aiqeul and Robert Paul, who, he alleged, had taken him into their headquarters in Islamabad and tortured him. He said the minorities enjoyed equal rights in the country but they were not ready to accept his decision of embracing Islam.