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Killing of Christian boy sparks condemnation: Ghulam Rasool names accomplices

By Waqar Gillani

LAHORE Maulvi Ghulam Rasool, accused of killing a 19-year-old Christian boy, named his two accomplices on Wednesday after being interrogated for nine days.

Ghulam Rasool allegedly killed Javed Anjum when the latter refused to convert to Islam.

The minorities and human rights groups are taking the issue seriously. On May 6, some of the organisations protested outside the Press Club, claiming Mr Anjum’s murder was a reflection of religious fundamentalism in the country.

Similar demonstrations were also staged in Toba Tek Singh, the victim’s hometown.

Mr Anjum’s father, Pervaiz Masih, told the police that his son was a B Com student in Quetta. The family had moved to Balochistan a few years ago, but Mr Anjum come to his native village to attend a marriage ceremony on April 10.

He had gone to a nearby town, Gojra, on April 16 with his mother and a sister where the two women got busy talking to their relatives as Mr Anjum moved away from them.

After the relatives were gone, the two women tried to find him, but he was not around.

The family lodged an FIR with the city police. They also advertised on local cable television about his disappearance.

However, Mr Anjum was not found until April 22, a day when Maulvi Ghulam Rasool handed him over to the city police in a critical condition. Ghulam Rasool claimed that he had caught him while he was trying to steal the water pump at the seminary.

The police called the victim’s father, asking him to take his son to a hospital.

Mr Masih took him to Toba Tek Singh, but he was moved to Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, due to his critical condition.

He could not survive, succumbing to his injuries on May 2.

The autopsy report said Mr Anjum’s right arm was fractured and he was given electric shocks as well. He was also suffering from renal failure and had to go through dialysis four times. The doctors also said there were 26 wounds on his body, and his urine bladder had stopped working.

He was passing blood and pus instead of water.

While on his deathbed, Mr Anjum told the police he was drinking water from a tap near the seminary when Ghulam Rasool had caught him, accusing him of stealing the water pump.

He told Assistant Sub-inspector Muhammad Ashraf: “They tortured me badly when I denied the charge. When they realised that I was a Christian, they also forced me to convert to Islam. On my refusal, they tortured me for five days without giving me food and water.”

The police, which had registered a case against Ghulam Rasool, under Section 337/F6 of the Pakistan Penal Code amended the first information report by adding Section 302 after the statement was recorded.

He was also arrested and produced before a Toba Tek Singh judicial magistrate.

Ghulam Rasool on Wednesday disclosed he tortured Mr Anjum with a club. His friends, Muhammad Tayyab and Omar Hayat, helped him as well.

Meanwhile, Christian organisations claim that District Nazim Toba Tek Singh Chaudhry Ashfaq Ahmad is now asking the victim’s family to compromise and withdraw the case. Mr Ahmad was not available for comment.

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