A Christian minor girl was allegedly abducted and forced to convert to Islam in Jaranwala, Faisalabad, in August 2023.
The victim’s father, Aftab Joseph, said that her daughter, Samreen Aftab, was abducted by a boy named Muhammad Amir, who is a resident of Islampura Main Bazar Jaranwala, Faisalabad.
On August 22, Amir abducted Samreen and forcefully married her after changing her faith. Joseph said that the Muslim family had also filed a bogus abduction case against him and his family members when efforts were initiated for the safe recovery of his minor daughter.
He added that he, along with his six family members, are on pre-arrest bail.
While condemning the incident, minority rights activist Joseph Jansen has voiced deep concerns regarding recent developments in cases of forced abductions, particularly involving minors. These developments shed light on distressing patterns of actions that hinder justice and perpetuate the heinous crime of sex trafficking, he added.
He mentioned that it is a common tactic to misrepresent these cases as mere love affairs, diverting attention from the gravity of the crime and preventing appropriate legal action against the perpetrators.
He also said that filing countercomplaints by abductors is another distressing trend. This malicious manipulation of the legal system obstructs the path to justice for the vulnerable victims and allows the real culprits to escape accountability, he stressed.