Naveed Iqbal, Saima’s husband, told local authorities that his wife was abducted from their home outside of Islamabad by a man named Muhammad Khalid Sati. After returning home from a night shift, Mr. Iqbal was shaken by his wife’s disappearance. He soon made a compliant to the local police, reporting the incident.

Mr. Iqbal said,

“The police did not take immediate action in respect of my application. They lodged a police First Information Report (FIR) only after I threatened to harm myself.”

After 10 heart-wrenching days of searching, the police finally found Saima. However, contrary to Mr. Iqbal’s hope for a joyous reunion with his wife, the police notified him that she had converted to Islam and married the accused.

Fortunately, the conversion and the marriage certificates are fake, as they do not contain a cleric’s signature. Mr. Iqbal has appealed to the Pakistani Prime Minister and Pakistan’s chief justice to help him get justice for his family.

“I have challenged the forced conversion and the forced marriage of my wife in a magistrate’s court,” said Mr. Iqbal. 

On Sunday, March 17^th, local Christians and Muslims held a protest demonstration outside Islamabad’s press club to express their outrage over the failure of the Pakistani authorities to deliver justice to Pakistani rape victim, Saima Iqbal. Placing religious differences aside, both Christian and Muslim leaders voiced their dismay at the continuing triviality of the authorities.

Recently elected Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan campaigned on freedom, equality, justice and fairness promised its minority citizens that justice and fair play will reign if he is nominated. However, his failed promises and policies and brought Christians and Muslims to join hands and protest their outrage against his administration.

Chief Executive of International Minorities Concern, Shereaz Khan, criticized the Prime Minister saying, 

“Sadly, not much has changed from minority citizen’s standpoint. Poor Christian women like Saima Iqbal continue to suffer. Asia Bibi of Pakistan is being held in Pakistan without any moral or legal justification despite her acquittal by Pakistan’s top court. We urge the international community to use its influence on Pakistan so that it takes concrete measures to give protection to the lives and the properties of Christians and the rest of its minority citizens.”

The magistrate’s court has reportedly set March 19 as the hearing date. We have no information so far about the results of the supposed hearing. 

Source: Persecution.org