Three men abducted a 13-year-old Christian girl from her home in Okara, Punjab, according to the girl’s family, who fears she would be forcibly converted to Islam.
Three men broke into the house of the victim, identified as Sehar, and kidnapped her at gunpoint in the presence of the family.
The family tried to resist but it was in vain.
A First Information Report has been registered and police have been searching for the girl, reported PakChristianNews.
The family has alleged that the girl was kidnapped by Muslim men, who they fear, would convert the minor girl to Islam.
The family has claimed that one of the men involved in the kidnapping also forcefully converted their underage son to Islam.
Forced conversions of underage girls from religious minorities is a severe issue in Pakistan and human rights defenders have continuously urged the authorities to take strict measures to curtail this practice.
Earlier, the United Nations had also urged Pakistan to curtail the practice of forced marriages of young girls from religious minorities to Muslim men. The United Nations had also called on Pakistani authorities to adopt and implement legislation in this regard.
In a statement, the UN had “expressed alarm” that young girls from religious minorities are kidnapped, trafficked, forcibly converted to Islam, and forced to marry men. The statement called on Pakistani authorities to curb this practice and uphold international human rights law.
