Gojra, Pakistan: In a disturbing incident of sexual harassment and physical intimidation, a young Christian woman and her family were forced to flee from their home in Chak 361, Gojra, Punjab. The family, who had been living in servant quarters on a cattle farm owned by a Muslim landlord, endured months of torment, including beatings, threats, and sexually motivated abuse—all because of a debt they owed to their employer. 

On 10th June 2025, a BACA team met with the Christian family, now hiding in a safer location. Pervaiz Masih (52), the family patriarch, shared the traumatic ordeal they faced at the hands of Muhammad Maqbool Lamberdar, the landlord to whom the family owed Rs. 850,000 (£2,450). The amount, borrowed to cover medical expenses and marriage costs, had plunged the family into what essentially became a form of bonded labour. 

“He [Muhammad Maqbool] violently beat my son,” said Pervaiz Masih. 
“He would kiss my daughter-in-law’s face, hug her, and demand that she make him a drink and sit near him. He was always drunk. We could no longer endure the humiliation. We escaped for our lives.” 

Zohaib Masih and his wife Somika seek refuge after enduring abuse, harassment, and threats from their Muslim landlord. 

Pervaiz’s wife, Shabana Bibi (50), added that the harassment extended to her as well. One day, when her son and daughter-in-law could not work, she went in their place. Maqbool responded with vile threats. 

“I can’t even describe the things he said,” she recounted tearfully. 
“He told me, ‘Your son cannot repay the loan, so I will convert your daughter-in-law to Islam and marry her off to someone who can.’” 

Their daughter-in-law, Somika Masih (22), had only been married to Pervaiz’s son, Zohaib Masih (19), for a few months. After their April 2025 wedding, Somika joined Zohaib in farm work—but she became the main target of Maqbool’s predatory behaviour. 

“Mr. Lamberdar would try to kiss me, hug me, and touch me,” she said. 
“He would say indecent things and verbally abuse my mother-in-law. He often sent my husband away so he could be alone with me.” 

The family had reported Maqbool’s conduct to his elders, but he evaded accountability by taking false oaths, worsening the situation. The unbearable conditions eventually led the entire family to flee the farm in the dark of night, leaving behind their few belongings and any hope of recovering their wages. 

With a monthly income of just Rs. 15,000 (£42), the family had little chance of repaying the debt—let alone affording legal representation or securing new housing. They are now living with relatives, and BACA is seeking urgent financial and legal support for them. 

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law escape harassment and threats from abusive Muslim employer. 

“A system built on bonded labour, religious bigotry, and gendered abuse” 

BACA Trustee Juliet Chowdhry expressed outrage at the ongoing abuse of Christians working under bonded labour in Pakistan: 

“This case illustrates how debt bondage in Pakistan is used not just to exploit Christian labourers economically but also to humiliate and subjugate them emotionally, sexually, and spiritually. The attempted coercion of a young Christian woman into forced conversion and prostitution is a heinous crime—and it’s just one of many unreported. We will stand with this family and pursue justice. No one should suffer like this because of their faith or poverty.”