Pakistan - CM Punjab urged to take steps to recover a Christian teenage girl forcefully given in marriage to a Muslim

Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif urged to take steps to ensure recovery of a Christian girl who had been forcefully converted to Islam after being abducted.

According to details, the Chairman of Pakistan Minorities’ Teachers Alliance (PMTA) Professor Anjum James Paul has written a letter to the Chief Minister of Pakistan, beseeching him to take steps that the abducted Christian teenage girl gets recovered from the custody of the perpetrators.

This letter, dated December 22, Professor Anjum James Paul has urged the CM Punjab to help the victims and her family. Professor Anjum James Paul has appealed for the recovery of the 13-year-old Christian girl, Sana Shahid who was forcefully converted to Islam by given in marriage to a Muslim after being abducted.

The letter written by Professor Anjum James Paul reads as follows:

To
Mr. Shahbaz Sharif
Chief Minister
Punjab

Subject:- RECOVERY OF SANA SHAHID, A 13 YEARS OLD CHRISTIAN STUDENT WHO HAS BEEN ABDUCTED, CONVERTED AND FORCIBLY MARRIED

Honourable Sir,

Greetings and peace from Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association (PMTA).

PMTA would like to draw your kind attention on the subject cited above.

Sana Shahid D/O Shahid, a 13 years old Christian underage girl has been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married while she was on her way to school on November 9, 2015 in Sialkot. FIR was logged against the culprits in the Hajipura Police Station Sialkot on the same day but Sana has not yet been recovered.

Waheed Akhter S/O Muhammad Bashir married Sana. According to the Government of Punjab Pakistan Birth Registration Certificate, Sana was born on April 17, 2002. There is the same record on the Catholic Church Birth Certificate and school leaving certificate but on the marriage certificate her age is exactly 18 years.

The persecuted and suppressed Christian family on the religious basis is constantly being threatened for serious consequences from the alleged family. Police has a biased attitude and is pressuring Sana’s family to withdraw case, saying “Sana is not in favour of you”.

Police arrests groom and his family when an underage girl or boy is married according to the law but it is so sorry that law is being violated by the police and the groom and his family has not yet been arrested.

According to the Constitution of Pakistan there is compulsory education for every child of Pakistan till the age of 16. Sana Shahid’s case is a test case for the government of Punjab because non-Muslim parents are cautious and feel insecure regarding the protection of their daughters. Pakistani non-Muslims are facing so many challenges of their religious identity.

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According to the research of Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association, there are threats to the lives and beliefs of non-Muslims as Pakistani textbooks and educational environment have forcibly converted their beliefs and rituals. Pakistani textbooks are openly violating National Action Plan as there is extremism against non-Muslims but it is so sorry that no action has been taken against the Textbook Boards of Pakistan. If textbooks violate National Action Plan then there will be more abduction, forced conversion and marriages of non-Muslim innocent teenage girls. Non-Muslims will be more unsafe in Pakistan.

Christian, Hindu, Bahai, Sikh, Parsi, Kalash and other non-Muslim families are fearful because their beliefs and lives are under threat. Pakistani non-Muslims are not considered the partners of Pakistan but they are considered foreigners and inferior. The ones who equally played their role with Muslims for the establishment of Pakistan are inferior now.

There are cake cutting ceremonies to show interfaith harmony but no one has visited Sana’s family yet, to bring peace, joy, happiness and harmony.

Your Excellency, you have earned a good name to be the voice of the voiceless by your actions as you have visited far off places to console victims.

PMTA requests you to kindly visit the victimized family before Christmas to console and order the culprits to return Sana to her parents as a Christmas gift.

With best regards.
PROF. ANJUM JAMES PAUL
CHAIRMAN

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