A Christian man who refused to convert to Islam has reportedly had both his arms chopped off, according to ChristianToday.com.
Legal Evangelical Association Development (LEAD) reports that Aqeel Masih, who worked at a gas station in Lahore, was kidnapped by Islamic extremists.
"[The] extremists exerted pressure on him to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam," LEAD said. "Aqeel however, did not give up on his Christian faith and refused to comply with their demand. Notwithstanding...his rebuttal, they chopped off his both [sic] arms, and absconded."
Masih has taken legal action against the perpetrators of this crime, but Pakistani police are raising doubts as to the truth of his story.
A senior police investigator said three suspects are being held in the case, but he denied that they had chopped Masih’s arms off.
Instead, police allege that Masih is a drug addict who wandered too near a train and had his arms chopped off by the train.
"The circumstantial evidences do not support the claims of the victim,” police officer Ammara Athar stated. “Apparently, it seemed that the man lost his arms in a train accident. We have yet to testify the claim of Aqil, we believe his arms were chopped off in a train accident."
Christian persecution is becoming more and more severe in Pakistan, where Christians are often accused of blasphemy against Islam.
Publication date: July 14, 2016