US lawmakers press Pakistan over Christian woman’s abduction, forced conversion

Washington, Aug 27 (IANS) A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has urged Pakistan to protect an 18-year-old Christian woman who was allegedly abducted, converted to Islam and denied a private meeting with her family.

Representative Chris Smith, Republican co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said the case of Neha Faqir raised serious concerns about religious freedom and the rights of minority women in Pakistan.

“The circumstances surrounding Neha Faqir’s disappearance and subsequent conversion raise profoundly troubling questions about her safety, freedom of religion, and ability to exercise her rights without coercion or intimidation,” Smith said on Wednesday.

Smith and 10 other members of Congress sent a letter on August 20 to Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar. They urged “the Government of Pakistan to take appropriate action to ensure a just resolution of this matter.”

The lawmakers asked Pakistani authorities to act through the country’s judicial system to “ensure Ms Faqir’s physical safety and well-being; ensure she has confidential access to independent legal counsel and an opportunity to communicate freely and privately with her family; and ensure that any further judicial proceedings are conducted under conditions that allow her to express her wishes freely and without intimidation or undue influence.”

The letter was also signed by Democratic Representatives James P. McGovern and Brad Sherman, and Republicans French Hill, Gus Bilirakis, Andy Harris, María Elvira Salazar, Riley Moore, Randy Weber, Michael Cloud and Blake Moore.

The lawmakers cited Article 20 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which guarantees freedom to profess, practise and propagate religion. They also referred to Article 25, which guarantees equality before the law.

“Pakistan’s Constitution protects religious freedom and equality before the law — but this means little if a young woman cannot safely and freely express her own beliefs,” Smith said.

“This case is particularly important for Pakistan’s religious minorities, who have been subject to abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage.”

Christian Solidarity International, or CSI, brought international attention to Faqir’s case on June 10. The group reported that she disappeared on March 24 after attending a sewing course.

She was later found at a madrassa in Lahore, where she had been converted to Islam, according to CSI.

Faqir appeared before the Lahore High Court on June 9. Her family sought permission to speak with her privately, but the request was denied. The court subsequently rejected the family’s petition seeking her return, CSI said.

The case was also raised at a June 16 hearing at the Palace of Westminster in London. The hearing examined the coerced conversion and marriage of women from religious minorities. It was sponsored and chaired by Lord Alton.

–IANS

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