A mob of Muslim men opened fire on a Christian neighborhood, killing two brothers, after authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province allowed Christians to lease a disputed piece of land, according to a report.
Yaqoob Masih and his brother, Haroon Masih, who were among five Christians who were visiting the property after being awarded the lease, were killed last Friday in Punjab’s Okara District, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reports.
“A Muslim family had religious hatred against us and other Christians living in the village,” Indriyas Masih, a witness and survivor of the attack, was quoted as saying. “They never like the development of Christians in the village and therefore opposed us in getting a contract for a piece of land for cultivation.”