ANOTHER HEART RENDERING INCIDENT AGAINST A MINOR CHRISTIAN GIRL IN PAKISTAN

It is with profound pain and sadness that International Christian Voice reports that eight (8) year Anum Bibi, a Christian child was subjected to sexual abuse by a twenty two (22) year old Muslim man Mohammad Awais.

According to available reports the poor child along with her parents and ten (10) year old brother Atif Masih went to work the fields where Anum become the victim of brutal incident of rape on Sunday May 02, 2021.

She was threatened by the perpetrator who forcedly raped her and left the girl crying in pain. The aggrieved parents found the girl fainted in the fields and rushed her to the Mother and Child Hospital Sheikhupura.

The father of the girl Allah Ditta Masih reportedly stated that he along with wife Rehana, daughter Anum Bibi and son Atif Masih was working in the field on Sunday May 02, 2021 at about 2:00 pm in the afternoon. Anum and Atif went to fetch water for all of them; they took time in returning back, after an hour Atif returned alone and informed about the incident. He said that Mohammad Awais took Anum in to the other fields forcedly; he beat him severely for helping his sister Anum. The parents rushed to save their daughter to find her raped and laying helpless. She had fainted and bleeding.

According to her parents they rushed her to the hospital emergency where doctors were not cooperative to provide medical treatment. Through media highlight the local police ultimately helped provide medical assistance.

The Christian community of the area were extremely angry and came out in protest blocking local roads to and from the city which led to police action to disperse the agitated crowd resulting in some injuries. After successful negotiations with the community leaders the crowd dispersed. The same evening SHO Bhikhi made a number of raids at the different places in the village and arrested the accused and placed him under arrest. It is reported that the local police is actively involved and case FIR no.431/21 has been registered in the local police station Bhikhi in Sheikhupura under section 376 iii PPC against the accused Mohammad Awais on the notice of Mr. Ghulam Mubashar DPO Sheikhupura. The accused has admitted to the crime on May 03, 2021. The initial medical legal report has confirmed the brutal rape attempt to Anum Bibi a minor child.

The frequency of these attacks on Christians, abductions, forced marriages and conversions has become a Pandemic for the poor Christians at the bottom of the social and economic ladder in Pakistan. We bow our heads in prayer to our Lord God Almighty and ask his blessings on our community and keep our young ones safe and faithful, Ameen.