by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
SHEIKHUPURA, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – 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.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Dutch authorities have foiled a planned attack on a building housing a synagogue and school in the western town of Heemstede, detaining two teenagers suspected of preparing an explosion or arson with terrorist intent, officials said.
Israel has carried out a rare and far-reaching military strike on Iran’s Caspian Sea port of Bandar Anzali, targeting a logistics hub used by Russia and Iran to transport weapons, according to the Wall Street Journal..
The partial government shutdown stretched into its 39th day Tuesday as Senate Democrats rejected a Republican-backed plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, drawing sharp criticism from conservatives who argue politics is being placed ahead of national security.
Louisville, Kentucky has agreed to pay $800,000 in attorney’s fees to Christian photographer Chelsey Nelson following her legal victory over the city’s public accommodations law, which had required her to photograph same-sex weddings if she offered services for traditional marriages.
Israeli intelligence assessments indicate Hezbollah has been significantly weakened, losing an estimated 85% of its missile arsenal since the war ignited by Hamas’ October 7 massacre. The Iranian-backed terror group is now believed to possess between 11,000 and 13,000 rockets—roughly one-sixth of its pre-war stockpile.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the ongoing conflict with Iran has already resulted in what he described as a “regime change,” signaling a dramatic shift in leadership dynamics within the Iranian government as Washington presses forward with negotiations to end hostilities.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday that Israeli forces plan to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, outlining a strategy to create a “defensive buffer” amid ongoing conflict with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.