A bipartisan group of 11 US Congressmen have urged Islamabad to protect the fundamental rights of a Pakistani Christian woman who was allegedly kidnapped and converted to Islam.
Congressman Chris Smith, the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, asked the Pakistan government to protect the safety and fundamental rights of Neha Faqir, an 18-year-old Pakistani Christian woman, who was allegedly abducted in March and subsequently converted to Islam.
A Pakistani court has rejected a petition brought by her family seeking her return.
“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,” said Smith.
Smith and ten other members of Congress sent a letter to Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, expressing concerns over Faqir’s case and urging “the Government of Pakistan to take appropriate action to ensure a just resolution of this matter.”
In the letter, the lawmakers urged Pakistani authorities to take the necessary steps within their judicial system to ensure Faqir’s physical safety and well-being, and that she has confidential access to independent legal counsel.
They also asked Pakistan to ensure that Faqir has 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.
“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 brought international scrutiny to Faqir’s case on June 10, reporting that she disappeared on March 24 after attending a sewing course.
Faqir was later found at a madrassa in Lahore, where she had been converted to Islam
