Sheikhupura: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) condemns the forced conversion of 16-year-old Christian boy Sagir Masih, who, according to his family and HRFP’s Fact Findings team, was subjected to sustained religious pressure and coercion by Muslim coworkers with clerics support at a local factory in Sheikhupura, Pakistan.

According to information gathered by HRFP Fact Findings team, the situation began approximately three months ago when Sagir Masih appeared increasingly worried and told his family that Muslim adults at the factory were subjecting him to persistent religious pressure.

On August 18, 2026, when Sagir submitted his resignation due to going on circumstances, his name appeared as “Muhammad Sagir” instead of Sagir Masih. According to his family, the factory administration and workers collectively pressured him to continue working, allegedly warning him that his family’s safety and security could be at risk if he left. Due to what the family described as blackmail and threats, Sagir continued working at the factory.

His parents became increasingly concerned about his behavior and occurrences. Whenever they questioned him, Sagir told them that his family could be at risk if he stopped going to the factory.

During a visit to the family, HRFP’s fact-finding team spoke with Sagir’s father, Babar Masih, and mother, Gulnaz Babar, who described their son as traumatized and significantly changed. The parents further stated that they learned Sagir had been forced to perform Islamic prayers five times a day during working hours.

According to the family, when they approached the police, officers told them that Sagir was considered Muslim and that the matter would have to be pursued through the courts. During police questioning, Sagir told officers that he wanted to return home. However, factory workers subsequently pressured him to remain separated from his parents.

HRFP states that it has been monitoring the case since the beginning and has been providing possible assistance to the family.

When Sagir did not return home on September 10, 2026, his family approached the police. According to HRFP, the police initially showed reluctance to act. Babar Masih submitted an application concerning his son's alleged forced conversion and abduction. However, the family alleges that the contents of the application were subsequently changed, with the complaint referring to kidnapping by unknown persons rather than identifying the factory workers and administration whom the family believed were involved.

On September 13, 2026, the local police station registered FIR No. 1765/26, stating that Sagir had “possibly been kidnapped” after leaving home at approximately 8:00 a.m. on September 10 to go to work.

HRFP further states that legal proceedings were subsequently initiated and that, with police cooperation, an affidavit was obtained from Babar Masih stating that he and his family would not harm Sagir following his conversion to Islam.

Naveed Walter, President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), said that allegations of discrimination, violence, abduction, and forced conversion involving workplaces are not limited to the case of Sagir Masih. According to Walter, HRFP has received accounts in which members of religious minorities working in predominantly Muslim workplaces have allegedly faced pressure through various means, including accusations of theft, blackmail, promises of benefits, intimidation, and abduction. He also expressed concern about reports involving teenage girls who are allegedly abducted and subsequently subjected to forced marriage and religious conversion.

Naveed Walter said that the Sagir Masih case illustrates the vulnerability of minority workers, particularly minors, when mechanisms for protection and accountability are ineffective. He stated that Sagir, a minor Christian child, had been subjected to religious pressure for approximately three months, that his name was changed from Sagir Masih to Muhammad Sagir, and that he stopped returning home on September 10. Walter further expressed concern that the police FIR reportedly described the circumstances as a possible kidnapping while the family had identified factory workers and management as being involved. He also referred to the family's account that Sagir told police officers during questioning that he wanted to return home.

Naveed Walter president of HRFP said further that Christians, Hindus, and other religious minorities can be particularly vulnerable in workplaces where employers or supervisors belong to the religious majority. He emphasized that workplaces should not be used as environments for religious coercion, intimidation, or forced conversion. He referred to Sections 503 and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which address criminal intimidation and punishment for criminal intimidation, respectively. These provisions may be relevant where threats are allegedly used to cause alarm or to compel a person to do something they are not legally required to do, or to prevent them from exercising a legal right.

Naveed Walter questioned why authorities had not taken stronger action in cases involving alleged forced conversion, intimidation, and the separation of minors from their families. He further expressed concern that such cases could affect Pakistan's international human rights commitments and its relationships under international agreements and trade arrangements like GSP+ and others. He also referred to the killing of child labor Iqbal Masih in 1995, arguing that the case remains an important reminder of the serious consequences that violations involving children and workplaces can have at both national and international levels. “Why is the government not taking action on such issues?” Walter asked.

HRFP called on the relevant authorities to take immediate and impartial action, investigate the allegations against the factory workers and administration, ensure the protection and legal rights of Sagir Masih as a minor, and determine through due process whether he was subjected to coercion, intimidation, abduction, or forced religious conversion.

HRFP further urged the authorities to ensure that Sagir Masih is not unlawfully detained or prevented from contacting or returning to his family is under threat, and that any investigation be conducted transparently and in accordance with law and the rights of a minor.