A group of church leaders have met the family of Arsalan Masih, a 14-year-old Christian student of class 8th, who was beaten to death by a group of six policemen in Pakistan on Oct. 9 as a result of a clash between Arslan and his classmate, who is a son of a policeman.
A delegation of National Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism (NCIDE) visited Arslan's home. Fr Francis Nadeem, executive secretary, NCIDE, led the delegation along with Fr Inyat Bernard and Muslim scholars namely, Moula Asim, Moulana Shakil ur-Rehman and Mufti Ashiq Hussain.
The murder of Arslan has created insecurity and tension between the Muslims and Christians in Sheikhupura District in Punjab Province. NCIDE leaders met the local religious leaders and discussed how to eradicate the feelings of anger and insecurity to avoid any unrest in the future.
According to Pakistan Christian Post, the church urged the officials to get justice for Christian family of Arsalan who was murdered by the police.
The clash between the students began when a Muslim student allegedly forced Arsalan to renounce his faith. To put an end to Arsalan's Christian faith, the Muslim student's father, a constable, arranged for a brutal treatment.
"Arsalan had reportedly beaten up a boy whose uncle, Sardar alias Billu, is a constable in the Sheikhupura District police. Billu nurtured a grudge against Arsalan, and that's why he brought his police friends with him to teach the poor boy a lesson," said Mushtaq Masih.
Mushtaq has filed a complaint with the Sheikhupura Saddar Police Station against the police officers, who are yet to be arrested.
