Pakistani Muslims threaten family of murdered Christian
Mentally ill Christian woman was allegedly abducted, raped and sold into sexual slavery by Muslim man before she died.
Updated: August 15, 2024 06:21 AM GMT
A Pakistani minority group has condemned alleged threats made against a Christian family by supporters of a Muslim man charged with the rape and murder of a mentally ill woman.
Asif Khokhar, chief organizer of the All-Pakistan Minorities Alliance Movement, said supporters of Omer Khokhar (not a relation) have been threatening the family of a Christian woman to pressure them into dropping the charges, Morning Star News reported on Aug. 13.
Omer Khokhar is also accused of abducting and raping 20-year-old Salma Munir from Ajnianwala, a village in Punjab province.
Munir was allegedly kidnapped in February and taken to Gujranwala, a city where she was subjected to torture and rape for five months, the report said. She was then sold to a brothel for 50,000 rupees (US$181).
The victim was then taken to Hafizabad where she was sold to another brothel for 70,000 rupees.
She was rescued in June but succumbed to her injuries, sparking an outcry from the Christian community and rights groups.
Asif Khokar said despite the accused being in police custody, the family has been living in fear.
“His family and friends are now threatening Munir Masih’s family in order to reach a settlement with them,” he said.
Munir Masih is the father of the dead woman.
“The security of the family is of utmost importance due to the sensitivity of the case, so we have relocated them to a safe location,” he added.
Asif Khokhar accused the police of showing “a lethargic attitude” towards Munir’s family after they registered a case.
The activist alleged the victim was targeted as “easy prey” because of her mental condition and being from minority the Christian community.
Her brother spotted her while visiting Hafizabad and brought her back home, physically and mentally traumatized.
She died two days after hospitalization.
“Before dying, she told her family about [Omer Khokar ] and how he had exploited her and sold her into sex slavery,” Asif Khokhar was quoted as saying.
Munir’s body was exhumed last week for forensic tests and the family is awaiting the results.
Rights groups say the abduction of minority Christian and Hindu girls for forced marriage and conversion to Islam is rampant in the Muslim-majority nation.
Under Pakistani law abduction, rape and forced prostitution can see offender jailed for up to 25 years.
US-based rights group, Open Doors, ranks Pakistan seventh among the top 50 countries in the world where Christians face severe forms of persecution.
