Four Christian brick-kiln workers have been abducted in Pakistan’s Punjab province after demanding the payment of their lawful wages from their Muslim employer, investigators told Worthy News Wednesday.
The Christians — identified as Tariq, Shahzad, Sagar, and Shahid — were taken from the suburban village of Mana Wala in the Basti Lam Wali area of Sheikhupura District, confirmed LEAD Ministries, a Pakistan-based Christian advocacy organization.
Family members told Worthy News that the men had “recently filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking payment of their lawful wages,” and that the court’s ruling reportedly came in their favor.
However, relatives allege that shortly after the decision, brick-kiln owner Rana Sher Khan and his associates abducted the four workers in apparent retaliation.
‘VOICES OF POOR CHRISTIANS NOT HEARD’
There was no immediate comment from the owner, and police have not yet issued an official statement, though an investigation is reportedly underway.
Families said that “despite repeated appeals to both the Lahore High Court and local police authorities,” their pleas for assistance have largely been ignored.
They described the brick-kiln owner as “a powerful figure” in the region and said little meaningful progress has been made in recovering the missing men. “The voices of poor Christians are not being heard,” they added, expressing deep concern for the safety of their loved ones.
Pastor Imran Amanat, leader of LEAD Ministries, strongly condemned the abductions and called for the immediate recovery of the four workers.
PASTOR URGING DECISIVE ACTION
He urged authorities “to take decisive action,” warning that vulnerable bonded-laborers — many of them Christians — “continue to face harassment, intimidation, and exploitation.”
Pastor Amanat reaffirmed LEAD Ministries’ commitment to “supporting bonded laborers and persecuted Christian families through legal advocacy, humanitarian assistance, and public awareness campaigns.”
Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of LEAD Ministries, described bonded and forced labor as a “curse” in Pakistan, an Islamic nation. He noted that the majority of those affected are members of the Christian minority.
Gill told Worthy News that he and his team have documented “daily cases of exploitation and suffering” faced by minority workers in industries such as brick kilns, agriculture, and domestic labor.
FAMILIES STILL AWAITING NEWS
As the families of Tariq, Shahzad, Sagar, and Shahid waited anxiously for news, local community members, human-rights groups, and advocacy organizations urged the government “to intervene urgently, ensure accountability, and secure the safe return of the abducted men.”
The abductions highlight broader concerns about the plight of bonded laborers in Pakistan — a form of modern slavery that is believed to affect some 3 million people, many of them Christians.
Bonded labor is a system in which individuals must work to repay an advance or “loan” taken from an employer. Due to high interest, deductions, and extremely low wages, the debt often increases over time, trapping entire families — and even generations — in forced labor, especially in brick kilns and agriculture.
Pakistan currently ranks 8th on the annual Open Doors World Watch List of 50 nations where it says Christians face the highest levels of persecution.
