Source: VOMC
Sources: Morning Star News, ECSPE
A 16-year-old Christian girl in Jaranwala, Punjab, was kidnapped on September 12th before being forced to convert to Islam and marry one of her captors. On the day of the attack, Diya Iftikhar was at home with her four sisters. The family's neighbours state that they saw three armed men force Diya into a white Suzuki van, which then sped away. The men have since been identified as Ghazaal Jutt, Afzal Jutt and Ramzan Jutt.
Although Diya's parents reported the crime to the police immediately, any actions of response made by local officials have been delayed. Since the three abductors are reputed to be hostile towards Christians, the parents are not only concerned for Diya's safety but also that of their other family members. (These same three men were known perpetrators in the Jaranwala riots during August 2023.
To review a previously posted report on this massive rioting incident, go to this page.)
On September 16th, four days after the kidnapping, the family received a video message from Diya via WhatsApp in which she claimed to have voluntarily converted to Islam and married Ghazaal Jutt of her own free will. However, the teenage girl's parents are convinced that their daughter was coerced into recording the video message. Additionally, Diya's mother states that the young woman "detested Ghazaal," for he and his friends had regularly harassed her.
This past summer, a legislative bill that deems it illegal for Christians in Pakistan to marry before the age of 18 was officially passed. One of the primary purposes of this bill is to prevent coercive marriages involving minors from taking place. However, this law is not applicable if a Christian minor converts to Islam prior to marriage. A further provincial law, which will raise the age of marriage for all people in Punjab, is presently pending. But until that law is passed, the legal age for Muslim girls remains at 16.
Unofficial statistics suggest that as many as 1,000 girls are victims of forced conversions and marriages each year in Pakistan.
To review other previously published prayer alert reports concerning the suffering of Christian women and girls in this South Asian nation, go to our country profile.
Please remember Diya in your prayers during the days to come, specifically interceding for her need of protection, strength and comfort – physically, spiritually and emotionally – as she deals with this terrible situation.
Also prayerfully uphold Diya's family members as they desperately seek legal justice on her behalf.
May the Pakistani authorities work diligently to return this precious teenage girl to her concerned family and ensure the perpetrators responsible for committing these crimes are duly held accountable.
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