Khurrum has suffered continuous harassment from Shah for several months. Despite her family complaining to Shah’s relatives, the disturbance continued. Her drug-addicted father had abandoned them years ago, pushing the family into a serious financial situation.

According to her mother: “My daughter was targeted because we are poor and weak Christians.”

Khurrum has recalled details of the gruesome attack: “He threatened to kill my brothers and forced me to sit on his motorcycle. After reaching the kiln, he dragged me into a room, tore my clothes and raped me. During this time, he repeatedly slapped and beat me up.”

Khurrum and her mother reported the incident to the police, but nothing happened.

Khurrum’s uncle, Morris Nazir voiced his disappointment: “A week has passed since the rape, but the police have not arrested Shah. They briefly took his two relatives into custody but released them after taking a bribe. We demand immediate legal action against Shah and protection for our family. We are poor people and do not have the resources to hire a good lawyer. It is the government’s responsibility to give justice to our young daughter. The Punjab chief minister and inspector general of police should take notice of our plight and order immediate arrest and prosecution of the accused. Shah must be punished for his crime; failure to do so will put other Christian girls also at risk of being attacked.”

Shah’s relatives used their influence with the police to stop them from making an arrest. They also pestered the Khurrum family, pressuring them to withdraw the First Information Report. 

Christian attorney Lazar Allah Rakha highlighted some of the issues with the Pakistani justice system: “It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that all citizens have instant and inexpensive access to justice regardless of their faith affiliations. The majority-versus-minority rhetoric has forced Christians and others to believe that they will not get the same treatment as Muslims. Therefore, it’s very important that the government should act to remove this impression.”

Source: https://www.christianpost.com