A bipartisan group of 11 US lawmakers have urged Islamabad to safeguard the fundamental rights of a Pakistani Christian woman who was allegedly kidnapped and converted to Islam.
Neha Faqir, an 18-year-old Pakistani Christian woman was allegedly abducted in March and subsequently converted to Islam. Congressman Chris Smith, the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, asked the Pakistan government to protect the safety and fundamental rights of Faqir.
"The circumstances surrounding Neha Faqir's disappearance and subsequent conversion raise profoundly troubling questions about her safety, freedom of religion, and ability to exercise her rights without coercion or intimidation," said Smith.
How did the case come to light?
The US reaction comes after Christian Solidarity International (CSI) raised concerns over Faqir's case on June 10 and reported that she went missing on March 24 after attending a sewing course.
Faqir was later found at a madrassa in Lahore, where she had been converted to Islam.
However, a Pakistani court has rejected a petition brought by her family seeking her return.
What US lawmakers said in the letter
Smith, along with ten other members of the US Congress, wrote a letter to Pakistan’s federal minister for law and justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on August 20, expressing concerns over Faqir’s case. They urged the government of Pakistan to take “appropriate action to ensure a just resolution of this matter.”
In addition to Smith, the letter was also signed by Reps James P McGovern, French Hill, Gus Bilirakis, Andy Harris, María Elvira Salazar, Riley Moore, Randy Weber, Michael Cloud, Brad Sherman, and Blake Moore.
{{/usCountry}}In addition to Smith, the letter was also signed by Reps James P McGovern, French Hill, Gus Bilirakis, Andy Harris, María Elvira Salazar, Riley Moore, Randy Weber, Michael Cloud, Brad Sherman, and Blake Moore.
{{/usCountry}}The lawmakers also called Pakistani authorities to take the necessary steps within their judicial system to ensure Faqir's physical safety and well-being, and that she has confidential access to independent legal counsel.
They further requested Pakistan to provide Faqir an opportunity to communicate with her family freely and privately. The lawmakers urged Islamabad to ensure that any future judicial proceedings are conducted under conditions that allow her to express her wishes freely, without intimidation or undue influence.
The members also referred to Pakistan’s own constitutional protections, including Article 20, which guarantees freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion, and Article 25, which guarantees equality before the law.
“Pakistan’s Constitution protects religious freedom and equality before the law—but this means little if a young woman cannot safely and freely express her own beliefs,” Smith added.
He stressed the importance of the case for Pakistan’s religious minorities, who he said, have been subjected to “forced conversions and marriage.”
"This case is particularly important for Pakistan's religious minorities, who have been subject to abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage."
Smith, a leading religious freedom lawmaker, has been long involved in raising concerns regarding the abduction and forced conversion of religious-minority women and girls, as well as the failure of authorities to hold perpetrators accountable.