Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Fides Service) - There are fears for the life of Farah Hatim, the Catholic girl kidnapped and forced into marriage and conversion to Islam in the city of Rahim Yar Khan in southern Punjab (see Fides 08/06/2011 7 and ). As the girl`s family refer to Fides, Farah is constantly drugged and her life is in danger. Meanwhile, attempts to discourage the family to carry on with the request to free Farah are still in progress. Yesterday Qasim and Huma Hatim, the victim`s brother and sister, were summoned by the local police who showed them the marriage certificate, a declaration of conversion to Islam and a picture of Farah, in traditional Muslim clothes. The police concluded that "everything is in order", stressing the request to abandon all claims on behalf of the family. According to Huma and Qasim, the documents are obviously artifacts. The supposed signatures of Farah are in Urdu – they observe- while the girl used to sign in English. In the photo, moreover, the girl is totally veiled, "to hide the beatings", they said. "The police wants to convince us to forget Farah, but we will carry on" say the family members.
"It will be very difficult to win this battle and get the girl back", said His Excellency Mgr Lawrence Saldanha to Fides, Archbishop Emeritus of Lahore , and for several years President of the Episcopal Conference. "The law is not in our favor, and then there is a lot of pressure on Christians and public officials' he remarks. "It must be said that our Justice and Peace Commission document numerous cases like this. And many cases remain unsolved, because Christians are threatened and are afraid to expose themselves. These are blatant violations of human rights, freedom of conscience and religion".
As already reported in recent months to Fides (see Fides 13/4/2011) from local sources, forced conversions to Islam, rapes and forced marriages are increasing in Pakistan. The victims are mostly Hindu and Christian girls, the most vulnerable because they come from poor, defenseless, marginalized communities, therefore easily exposed to harassment, threats and violence. They often do not have the courage to denounce the assaults. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 09/06/2011)
