Pastor takes household into hiding after daughter raped by neighbor
A pastor and his household have gone into hiding after a Muslim neighbor who raped his 14-year-old daughter tried to kidnap her and drive her to transform to Islam and marry her, he mentioned.
The daughter of Pastor Aslam Masih of Muridke, Sheikhupura District, Punjab Province, was on her method to faculty on Oct. 31 when Suleman Azhar blocked her manner together with his bike and compelled her to board it, the pastor mentioned. The panicked lady, whose identify is withheld as a rape sufferer, freed herself and ran again residence.
“Upon inquiring why she had returned residence, she advised us that Suleman had been harassing her for a very long time to transform to Islam and marry her,” Pastor Masih advised Christian Each day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “Once I confronted Suleman, he threatened me, saying I ought to do no matter I may to guard my daughter. I didn’t know then that he had already assaulted her as soon as.”
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Fearing for his daughter’s security, Pastor Masih moved his household to a relative’s home in Lahore. Their disappearance angered Azhar, who attacked their residence in Muridke, damaging property and firing photographs within the air, the pastor mentioned.
Pastor Masih on Nov. 2 filed a criticism with police, who registered a First Data Report (FIR) however didn’t take any motion in opposition to the suspect, he mentioned.
“Their indifference helped Suleman in acquiring pre-arrest bail, and he has since been threatening us, demanding that we withdraw the case,” Pastor Masih mentioned.
The 63-year-old pastor and his spouse had been surprised when their daughter later revealed that Azhar had raped her in September.
“She couldn’t bear the agony and trauma any longer and broke down into tears,” he mentioned. “She advised us that Suleman and his associates bundled her right into a automotive when she was returning residence from faculty and took her to a home the place Suleman raped her.”
She had saved quiet concerning the assault fearing Azhar would kill her and her household, he mentioned.
Pastor Masih once more started visiting police, however his pleas for justice fell on deaf ears, he mentioned. Pissed off and suspecting Azhar had influenced the police to take no motion, he sought court docket intervention.
His lawyer, Malik Zaman Haider, mentioned Pastor Masih’s daughter has recorded her assertion in opposition to Suleman in court docket, and that he has filed a request for a medical examination and the addition of rape fees to the FIR.
Haider mentioned the FIR had been registered underneath Part 354 of the Pakistan Penal Code in opposition to utilizing legal drive in opposition to a girl with the intent to outrage her modesty, which carries a most sentence of two years in jail. Such a rape case ought to be registered underneath Part 375 in opposition to consensual or pressured intercourse with a woman underneath the age of 16, which is punishable with demise or imprisonment for 10 to 25 years, the lawyer mentioned.
Aslam Pervez Sahotra, chairman of the Pakistan Masiha Millat Occasion, mentioned her case highlighted the challenges that Christian women and girls face. Urging the Punjab chief minister and Punjab inspector common of police to take discover of the case, Sahotra mentioned the sufferer was not solely a daughter of the Christian group however of the nation.
“We condemn the assault on our daughter in addition to the threats being employed to drive her to transform to Islam and marry her rapist,” Sahotra advised Christian Each day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “The police’s refusal to behave in opposition to the accused has exacerbated the household’s ordeal, and they’re pressured to dwell in hiding away from their residence.”
He appealed to the Muslim group to boost their voices as properly in opposition to such brazen atrocities.
“Our daughters, our group, reside in worry, and the federal government should present that it cares for them by making certain speedy justice and punishment to the accused,” Sahotra mentioned.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee on Nov. 7 expressed concern about persistent reviews of abduction and compelled marriages of ladies from minority religions in Pakistan, no matter their age and prevailing legislation. Compelled 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 additionally expressed concern about reviews of the widespread impunity surrounding these instances.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doorways’ 2024 World Watch Record of essentially the most tough locations to be a Christian, because it was the earlier 12 months.
Initially printed at Christian Each day Worldwide–Morning Star Information
