Photo: Morning Star News
On the night of February 11th, ten-year-old Laiba Suhail was abducted from her home in the Faisalabad District of Punjab. The Christian girl's captor has been identified as Muhammad Mohsin Shah – a man who is well known in the area for abducting and forcibly converting girls from religious minorities.
When Laiba's parents approached Muhammad, he dismissed them by asserting that she had willingly embraced Islam. In response to the incident, court officials ruled to send Laiba to a women's shelter rather than returning her home. The parents were refused any contact with their daughter during the hearing, even though the young girl was present.
The Christian family has since learned that Muhammad managed to take Laiba from the women's shelter. Her parents are now concerned that she may have been sold to sex traffickers. At last report, Laiba's family members were pursuing all efforts to regain custody, but they are extremely poor due to the ill health of Laiba's father. They are endeavouring to obtain a lawyer to file a motion with the Lahore High Court.
The plight facing Christian women and girls in Pakistan is deeply concerning. Despite court rulings that have been established to protect females of minority groups, many authorities throughout the country frequently disregard these laws. As a result, on February 28th, the Lahore High Court ordered the government to implement stricter enforcement of anti-child marriage laws. Pressure has also been applied to enact tighter regulations relating to forced conversions. For links to other reports addressing persecution in Pakistan, go to our country report.
Please uphold this distraught family in your prayers, asking the Lord to mightily intervene in the situation and ensure Laiba is safely returned to the custody of her loving parents. May God grant this young girl divine protection, healing and comfort, meeting her every need now and in the future. Pray that the laws designed to protect vulnerable minorities in Pakistan will be tightened and more strictly enforced by the country's authorities so that such incidents can be prevented from happening in the lives of other innocent victims and their families.
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