LAHORE, Pakistan — A teenage Christian girl who was reportedly kidnapped, raped and forced to convert to Islam and marry her captor has been returned to her parents.
The court decision of Oct. 25 removed custody of a 16-year-old girl from her Muslim abductor and gave it to her parents, report media sources Christian Daily International and Morning Star News. The captor and two accomplices kidnapped the girl from Chak No. 126-GB Sheroana in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Sept. 12, her parents said.
Asher Sarfraz of Christians True Spirit, which gave legal support to the girl and her family, said the captor’s hatred for Christians is why the girl was targeted for abduction.
Sarfraz told the news outlets that on Oct. 10, the court dismissed the initial petition requesting the girl’s recovery. Another petition was submitted Oct. 24, at which time the judge saw fear in the girl and cleared the courtroom to speak privately with her.
“She told the court that she had been converted and married against her will and wished to return to her parents’ house,” Sarfraz recounted. “Hearing this, the court handed her custody to her parents.”
Because the abductor lives in the same village as the girl, her family may relocate her, Sarfraz said.
Pakistan is No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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