LAHORE: Lahore High Court acting Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh has ordered the Punjab home department and the inspector general of police to ensure protection of witnesses in the 2014 lynching of a Christian couple in Kot Radha Kishan.

A directive issued by the director general of district judiciary directorate required the government to provide security to the witnesses in light of the instructions of the Supreme Court.

Witnesses of the case including Shahbaz Masih and Iqbal Masih had approached the high court with a complaint of non-provision of security by the police.

Justice Sheikh expressed dismay over the non-provision of security to the witnesses and ordered the government to ensure foolproof security of the witnesses as per the guidelines set by the apex court.

The trial of the case is pending before an anti-terrorism court of Lahore against dozens of suspects. The court has already convicted several suspects while some of them has been acquitted by the high court.

Shahzad Masih and his pregnant wife Shama were bonded labour at a brick kiln of Yousaf Gujjar. An aggressive mob of over 400 people allegedly led by the kiln owner brutally killed the couple on charges of blasphemy.

The prosecution said a prayer leader had provoked the villagers against the couple. The mob mercilessly burnt the couple alive in the kiln.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2019