Pakistan Christian Girls Raped And Kidnapped
By Mary Priddy, Worthy News International Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) — Two Christian teenage girls were free Saturday, January 17, as they were rescued after being kidnapped, sold to other men as sex slaves, and forced into Islam by two radical Muslims, Christian rights investigators said.
The Washington based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) said the two teenage girls, Parcisha, 18, and Sanam,14, were kidnapped in November after a neighbor, identified as Muhammad Irfan, seduced them into believing he would offer training in Cosmetology and beauty shop jobs.
However there was concern Saturday, January 17, that the case would not be properly investigated as Pastor Alam’s son-in-law, Stian AKram Khokhar, has been missing. “The Pastor is afraid that Irfan” and another man, identified as Muhammed Mehboob, are using his son-in-law to threaten him to let the case go that has been filed against them,” ICC said. Police officials were not immediately available for comment. The location of the incident was not released, apparently for security reasons.
The troubles began when Parcisha, the oldest of seven children, convinced her father, pastor Sharif Alam, to allow them to go so they could learn a trade and be able to help support her impoverished family, ICC recalled.
DRINKS DRUGGED
Their neighbor Irfan and an another individual, identified as Muhammed Mehboob, allegedly picked up the girls up November 30, driving them instead for thirty minutes to get drinks.
The drinks were allegedly drugged and when the girls woke up they were reportedly 500 miles (800 kilometers) away from their home and locked in a small hotel room.
“By gunpoint the girls were threatened that if they made any noise or tried to escape they would be killed and so would all of their family. That night both girls were raped by these two men repeatedly,” ICC said.
The next day the two girls were driven to the brother in law of Mehoobs, where the men repeatedly raped the girls over several days and forced the girls to accept Islamic and to convert to Islam, according to rights investigators. “Parcisha and Sanam were both given Muslim names and were told that if they cooperated they would be released soon,” ICC said.
LAWYERS RAPE
The girls were also taken to the law offices of Nayer-Zia-Ul-Din and Kokab-Sahab-Ul-Din who allegedly told the girls they would ensure they would be able to reside in a government backed shelter for women.
The attorneys also had the girls sign a blank piece of paper and told them the following day they would be represented in court and set free, ICC said in a statement monitored by Worthy News.
They initially consoled the girls and proposed them to they stay the night in their home the rest of their families. However the girls arrived to an empty apartment where they were two separate rooms.
That night Sanam awoke and heard her sister “crying and yelling for help” as the two lawyers allegedly raped her. “Sanam ran out of the room, looking for a weapon to defend herself, and found instead a cell phone, which she used to dial the emergency response number. Soon, police arrived and took the two lawyers into custody.”
GIRLS RESCUED
Pacisha was immediately taken to the hospital and Sanam to a police station where she contacted her father “who immediately came to the daughters and rescued them,” ICC added.
He also contacted a Christian legal group, reportedly adding to anger of Muslims in the neighborhood. On December 31, dozens of angry Muslims apparently gathered outside the family home, demanding that the father returns his daughters to Muslim authorities.
The father called police, “but not fast enough as the angry mob got hold of the pastor’s son, Sheraz. and beat him severely,” ICC said.
The organization said it had urged its supporters to “pray for Parcisha and Sanam that all their wounds will be healed and that their faith and belief in God will be restored.”
It said it had asked supporters to also, “Pray for protection and peace over this family whom has suffered greatly.” It comes amid nounting international concern over case of kidnapping and sexual abuse of Christian girls and women in Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim nation.