A man whose two younger brothers were jailed for blasphemy is blaming Muslim extremists for raping his wife and robbing his house.

Hamid Masih's wife was raped during the attack at their village home near Pasrur, 45 miles north of Lahore on June 25.

A man was arrested in connection with the attack, but was later released and the suspect's family is blaming Hamid Masih for the detention.

Hamid said: "Now I do not know whether to pursue the case or remain silent. Since the registration of the attack, the whole family has been under extreme danger, not only from the suspect but also from Muslim extremists and we are going through a very hard time."

Hamid Masih has been providing for the wife and eight children of Rasheed Masih, 34, who is married with five children and Saleem Masih, 30, who is married with three children.

The two were arrested on blasphemy charges in May 1999 after a row with a Muslim ice cream vendor and the family has been in hiding for fear of retaliation by local religious zealots ever since.

The brothers faced the charges after the vendor refused to serve the two Christians from the same bowls used by Muslims.

Ice cream vendor Maqsood Ahmed filed a complaint that the brothers had uttered "bad remarks" against Islam and Mohammed.

At the hearing Muslim leaders packed the courtroom and demanded the death penalty.

In May 2000 the brothers were sentenced to 35 years imprisonment and fined 75,000 rupees each.

The accused's lawyer, who is a member of a militant religious party, has put forward an appeal in the Lahore High Court.

Both Rasheed and Saleem are in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail pending an appeal hearing.

Tina Lambert, advocacy director at CSW said: "The blasphemy laws in Pakistan encourage militant Muslims to take the law into their own hands. Extremists tell their followers that those who blaspheme deserve to be killed immediately. The families of those accused of blasphemy are also targeted and that seems to be what has happened here. CSW is appalled by this latest attack on the family of two Christians who have already suffered so much."