KARACHI, July 10: Condemning the killing of a Christian worker of a non-governmental organisation in Mirpurkhas, the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network has demanded that the murderer, who they said is an influential landlord, be arrested, tried and punished in accordance with the law.

The PDSN, a network of over 20 civil society organisations, condemned the local influential people, administration and police who it alleged had joined hands and were trying to protect the killer.

They said that rather than arresting the killer, the police were threatening the victim’s father and his family and were putting pressure on them to end their protest.

The PDSN said that 26-year-old Asif Masih was a driver. He was lifting soil to fill the foundation of an under-construction school building when he was shot dead at Kachelo Farm by the henchmen of the influential landlord over a petty dispute pertaining to some bags of sand used as construction material.

It said that the murder was in violation of the Constitution and international conventions that guaranteed the rights of the non-Muslim citizens and considered them equal citizens.

In a statement, the network members said: “The state in recent years has completely failed to provide security to the non-Muslim community. We also demand that the government ensure the safety and security of non-Muslims, particularly in Sindh.”

They said that the Christians and Hindus, particularly scheduled castes, were often victimised and being treated as second class citizens.

Most of them lived in abject poverty and had low access to fundamental rights such as education, health and employment opportunities.

Non-Muslims were vulnerable to threats of the landed elite in the rural areas, as they lacked the means to defend themselves and were also targets of religious fanatics, powerful landlords.