Afzal Masih, a Catholic Christian, was murdered on September 7, 2025, on his pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in Mariamabad, Pakistan. Three men on a motorcycle approached the father of four as he set off from his home in Farooqabad in northeastern Punjab province, accompanied by family and friends. The assailants pulled him from his rickshaw, assaulted him, and initially drove off. They then stopped, checked the tires, and turned around. One of them was armed and aimed at Afzal Masih, fatally shooting him in the neck and injuring his friend, Haris Masih, in the arm.

The Christian organization “The Voice Society” from the provincial capital of Lahore supported the bereaved families while they filed a police report and reported their fate to the ISHR. One of the perpetrators has since been identified, but he and the other two are still on the run. Afzahl Masih was a simple rickshaw driver, and the family is unaware of any personal enemies.

“Such an attack terrorizes the entire Christian community. The message is: They are all unsafe practicing their faith and are better off remaining invisible,” the report to the ISHR states.