5 Muslims kidnapped a 14-year-old Christian woman from exterior her dwelling in Pakistan, her father mentioned.
Sharif Masih of the Korpur space of Sialkot, Punjab Province, mentioned he fears the abductors would possibly attempt to forcibly convert his daughter, Saneha Sharif, to Islam and pressure her to marry one of many Muslim suspects.
“Saneha was lured out of the home (on Jan. 9) by a Muslim woman whose household had not too long ago moved to our neighborhood,” Masih instructed Christian Each day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “A neighbor, Rehan Razaque, noticed her being bundled right into a van by the accused, which included two girls, considered one of whom was the mom of the woman who had introduced Saneha out of her dwelling.”
Get Our Newest Information for FREE
Subscribe to get day by day/weekly e mail with the highest tales (plus particular affords!) from The Christian Publish. Be the primary to know.
A sweeper at a marriage marquee who’s a member of the Brethren Church, Masih mentioned the suspects included Muhammad Dildar, who had been making unwelcome advances towards his daughter that she at all times discouraged. He mentioned he knowledgeable police as quickly as he realized of her abduction.
“The police registered a case however arrested solely two accused, together with Samina Usman and Shabbir Ahmed,” Masih mentioned. “Samina has been despatched into judicial custody, whereas Ahmed continues to be in police custody, however each of the accused haven’t but supplied any lead that might assist recuperate Saneha.”
The Christian father mentioned that police have been lax since making the 2 arrests and have carried out nothing to recuperate his daughter.
“Regardless of repeated pleas to the police, they aren’t making any effort to recuperate Saneha or arrest the opposite accused,” Masih mentioned. “We even gave them some cellphone numbers to hint the whereabouts of Dildar, however nothing has been carried out to seek out him.”
Masih mentioned his poverty and Christian religion have been the explanations the police weren’t responding to his requests.
“The investigating officer of the case, Assistant Sub-Inspector Ihsan Ullah, is making no effort to trace the accused,” he mentioned. “It’s been practically two weeks Saneha has been lacking, and we worry that the accused will pressure her to transform to Islam and marry Dildar to provide a authorized cowl to their crime.”
His spouse has fallen ailing since their daughter’s disappearance, requiring her to be taken to the hospital twice for remedy, he mentioned.
Interesting to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the inspector common of police for intervention, Masih mentioned such brazen prison acts needs to be handled sternly to guard the susceptible minority communities.
“We’re very weak and might solely plead for the upper authorities to avoid wasting our daughter from these criminals,” he mentioned.
The incident drew widespread condemnation from rights advocates. They demanded the federal government go a invoice pending within the Punjab Meeting since April that might enhance the authorized age for marriage for each girls and boys to 18 years.
“The provincial authorities ought to go the brand new anti-child marriage invoice on the earliest to guard minor women, particularly these from the Christian and Hindu minority communities, from compelled conversions in guise of marriages,” mentioned Christian legal professional Lazar Allah Rakha.
Till the federal government passes and strictly implements the brand new regulation, minority women and girls will proceed to be victimized by predators for sexual exploitation, Rakha mentioned.
Pending approval of the invoice, the minimal age for women to marry continues to be 16. Nationally, the Christian Marriage (Modification) Act 2024 set the marriageable age at 18 just for Christians; in the event that they convert to Islam, women thought-about Muslims come underneath Sharia (Islamic regulation), which permits them to marry youthful.
Sometimes, kidnapped women in Pakistan, some as younger as 10, are kidnapped, compelled to transform to Islam and raped underneath cowl of Islamic “marriages” and are then pressured to document false statements in favor of the abductors, rights advocates say. Judges routinely ignore documentary proof associated to the kids’s ages, handing them again to kidnappers as their “authorized wives.”
The U.N.’s Human Rights Committee on Nov. 7, 2024, expressed concern about persistent stories of abduction and compelled marriages of ladies from minority religions in Pakistan, no matter their age and prevailing regulation. Pressured to transform to Islam underneath risk of violence, they endure rape, trafficking and different types of sexual and gender-based violence.
The U.N. physique expressed concern about stories of the widespread impunity surrounding these circumstances.
“Victims are normally not returned to their households throughout investigations however compelled to stick with their abductors, together with members of organized prison teams, or positioned in pointless and inappropriate various care amenities, with no or restricted regard for baby safety requirements, exposing victims to additional danger of exploitation, abuse and dangerous practices,” the committee acknowledged in its concluding observations on Pakistan’s second periodic evaluation of its human rights state of affairs.
It urged Pakistan to accentuate efforts to eradicate compelled conversions and marriages, together with strengthening its authorized framework and enforcement mechanisms.
“The state occasion also needs to be sure that all allegations of compelled conversions and compelled marriages of ladies are promptly, impartially and successfully investigated, that these accountable are delivered to justice, and that every one victims have entry to efficient treatments and assist companies resembling enough shelters, authorized support, psychological counselling and rehabilitation applications,” it acknowledged.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Listing of essentially the most tough locations to be a Christian.
This text was initially printed at Christian Each day Worldwide-Morning Star Information
