PAKISTAN Sindh, free a Christian kidnapped by Muslims

Her name is Aneeta and she is 24 years old. They were able to find her after eight hours and thanks to the intervention of the local parish priest. However, the young woman’s family moved to another town to avoid further reprisals.

Hyderabad () – Her name is Aneeta and she is 24 years old, another Christian girl kidnapped in broad daylight in a village in the province of Sindh and who, thanks to the intervention of the local priest and some activists, was recovered eight hours later. However, for the moment the family is in hiding to avoid reprisals and threats.

The matter has to do with a feud between families: in November 2022, Khadim Masih, the nephew of Irshad Masih (Aneeta’s father), had moved to his uncle’s house for work reasons and had started a relationship with a Muslim girl , Imdad Nabi, belonging to the Jakharani tribe, very influential in Sindh. In mid-February, Khadim Masih and Imdad Nabi fled together to Punjab, but the young Muslim girl’s father, Nabidad, immediately thought that he had kidnapped her. Therefore, he denounced Irshad Masih, who tried to contact his niece without success.

A few weeks later, Nabidad attacked Irshad Masih’s house along with a group of about 20 Muslims. After torturing the women in the family, they kidnapped Aneeta and threatened to take other young Christian girls as well.

At that time, Irshad Masih, together with other Christian faithful in the village, went to Father Ashfaq, the village parish priest, for help. The priest, thanks to the support of Arif Masih (former deputy of the Sindh Provincial Assembly) and a group of social activists, managed to recover Aneeta after eight hours of searching. However, Nabidad continued to threaten the Christian family, accusing them of insulting him and kidnapping her daughter.

At the request of the priest, the Diocese of Hyderabad office of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) took up the case and provided legal assistance to Irshad’s family. With the help of Monsignor Samson Shukardin, Bishop of the Diocese of Hyderabad, Irshad’s family was transferred to another town, where she lives in hiding to avoid further incidents or reprisals.

The move was possible thanks to the intervention of the police, since the local Muslims did not want to allow the family to flee and take their personal belongings, so it was the local Church that provided them with cots and kitchen utensils.

Meanwhile, in the last few days, they found Imdad and handed her over to her father.

“First of all we condemn the act of Khadim Masih and Imdad, who created confusion between Muslims and Christians. All the Christian families in the village had to suffer for them,” said activist and politician Arif Masih, interviewed by . “On the other hand, however, the attack on Irshad Masih’s house and the fact that the Muslims tortured the Christian women is an illegal and inhumane act. They used their power and influence because they are Muslims. They attacked the Christian family because they knew they were an easy target, being a minority, and they kidnapped one of their daughters, who was completely innocent. Now the Christian family cannot enter the village because it is still threatened by the Muslims,” ​​continued Arif Masih.

“Christian and Muslim religious should play their positive role to create an atmosphere of harmony between these two communities. In Sindh province there are many cases of kidnapping and forcible conversion of minor girls belonging to minorities, because the culprits know who are poor and cannot speak out against them. The state should take serious steps to protect and save minority girls.”