Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Fides Service) - To free Hatim Farah, the kidnapped Christian nurse and forcedly converted to Islam in Punjab last month, the Church and the international community need to make an effort. This is the appeal that comes from the young girl`s family and Catholics in Punjab to Fides. Farah's family – say local sources of Fides who ask for anonymity for security reasons - is in a state of hopelessness and helplessness, after even the voices of local institutions were ignored.
As noted (see Fides 13/05/2011), the girl, aged 24, was kidnapped on 8 May in the city of Rahim Yar Khan (southern Punjab) by the Muslim Zeehan Iliyas, with the intent to convert her to Islam and to forcedly marry her. The complaints of the family were of no use, since the local police showed obvious complicity with the kidnappers and refused to intervene.
Farah's family have requested the intervention of civil authorities in recent days and Kamran Micheal, Christian and Minister for minorities in the province of Punjab, has exposed himself directly denouncing the kidnapping and ordered the police to find the girl and return her to the family of origin. The District Superintendent of the local Police, however, has reiterated his refusal to obey the order and to help save the girl.
At this point, Farah's family tells Fides, "you just have to hope for an intervention by the international community, given that the legal system and law enforcement in Pakistan does no justice". Indeed, the police also tried to arrest two of Farah`s brothers, to intimidate the family and persuade them to drop the case.
Farah signed, under torture, a declaration stating that she had converted to Islam voluntarily. The family says that "she was blackmailed into making her conversion, and is absolutely invalid". Farah is fatherless, her mother Balqees Hatim, in addition to Farah, has two other sons and three daughters. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 06/07/2011)
