Abduction and Forced Conversion: Father’s Plea in Lahore High Court for Daughter’s Recovery
October 26, 2023 – Lahore, Pakistan – A deeply troubling situation has emerged in Lahore, Pakistan, involving alleged abduction, forced conversion, and forced marriage. Aftab Joseph, the father of Samreen Aftab, submitted a petition to the Lahore High Court under Section 491, seeking the recovery of his daughter. The saga of Samreen Aftab has triggered a renewed call for justice, with her father now pursuing legal avenues to secure the return of his abducted daughter.
In a distressing incident, Samreen, a Christian minor girl, was allegedly abducted, forcibly converted, and married to her abductor, Muhammad Amir, on January 4, 2023. This was done despite Samreen being indisputably a minor, below the age of 18. Her father, Aftab Joseph, is a schoolteacher employed at an orphanage school, while her mother, Ishrat, works as a domestic worker.
The abductor, Muhammad Amir, and his family are known for their influential status and belong to the Raja caste. Troublingly, Muhammad Amir is also wanted by the police for his alleged involvement in burning churches on August 16, 2023, in Jaranwala. He has remained at large since the incident, evading arrest.
On that fateful morning of January 4, 2023, as Samreen was on her way to school in village 126-GB Dab Town Azafi A badi Jaranwala, Muhammad Amir allegedly abducted her, forcefully married her, and forcibly converted her to Islam. Subsequently, the Muslim family filed a petition with the Session Judge of Jaranwala, alleging that Samreen, now named Kaneez Fatima, was content with her marriage and conversion, asserting that she made these choices of her own free will. However, these statements were purportedly extracted under duress.
The Joseph family, already grappling with extreme poverty and hardship, has faced additional adversity, including harassment from various Muslim groups in the area. They live in constant fear for their safety.
A counter-complaint was registered against Aftab Joseph, Samreen’s father, along with several other family members, claiming that Aftab had kidnapped her from her alleged husband. This false counter-complaint was registered against Aftab solely to harass and deter him from pursuing justice and recovering his daughter.
Joseph Jansen, Chairperson of Voice for Justice, expressed deep concerns about the filing of counter-complaints by abductors, stating that it obstructs justice for vulnerable victims and allows the real culprits to escape accountability. He emphasized that in cases of forced conversion and forced marriages of minors, such cases are often misrepresented as mere love affairs, diverting attention from the gravity of the crime of child marriage.
Jansen pointed out that state laws in Pakistan allow girls to be married at the age of 16 or 18, depending on the specific province they belong to. However, by converting a girl to Islam, Sharia laws are applied in court, allowing for girls to be married at a very young age, sometimes as young as 9 years old. Girls summoned to court to provide testimony about the willingness of their conversion and marriage often remain in the custody of their abductors, making it difficult for them to speak freely. The abductors typically employ threats to coerce the girls and their families into making statements in favor of their abductors.
Human rights organizations are shedding light on a troubling reality, emphasizing the alarming frequency of Christian and Hindu girls’ abductions in Pakistan. It has come to the forefront that approximately 1,000 girls from these communities are abducted each year, and sadly, many of them fall prey to rape, forced conversion to Islam, and coerced marriages to Muslim men.
Jansen stressed that the actual number of such abductions may be even more significant than reported. These abducted girls often experience extreme isolation from their families, creating formidable obstacles for them to reconnect with their parents, siblings, and friends, as their contact with Christian or Hindu communities is perceived as a potential catalyst for reverting to their original faith.
The laws and court judgments exist to prevent forced marriages, child marriages, and sexual violence against women and girls. Unfortunately, these laws are applied selectively, with marginalized communities, especially Christians, frequently falling under the jurisdiction of Sharia laws.
The situation remains a grave concern, and it is essential to shed light on these issues to ensure the safety, security, and protection of vulnerable individuals like Samreen Aftab and their families in Pakistan.
READ & Watch MORE: 15-Year-Old Christian Girl Assaulted, Forcibly Converted to Islam, and Married – A Tragic Casehttps://voiceforjustice.eu/blog/pakistan-15-year-old-christian-girl-assaulted-forcibly-converted-to-islam-and-married-a-tragic-case/
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