-14 year old Anila was abducted on a month ago from her home in Islamabad
July 29, 2024
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
A major development occurred in the case of a 14 year old Christian girl Anila* Masih, who on June 24 was abducted from her own neighborhood in Islamabad, and allegedly forced to marry and convert. On Sunday July 28, more than a month later the girl was recovered by the police from Mandi Bahauddin.
In an exclusive interview with Voicepk, on July 20, the family had claimed that despite the several attempts they had made pleading with the authorities to recover their daughter, the police had displayed a very nonchalant attitude and had not investigated the case properly.
A day after the girl had been abducted, there were reports of her having married her abductor and converted to Islam – something that was not expected from a 14 year old girl, her mother had said in the interview. However since then they had sighted the abductor and his relatives in public places a few times but even after they informed the police, there were no attempts at making any arrest.
Civil Society, Court pressure
The last hearing held in the Islamabad High Court was on July 26.
SHO Irshad of Khanna Police Station, and Investigating Officer Asif appeared before the court and when they were asked by the judge where the girl was, they claimed that the girl had already made a statement under Section 164 PPC. However, the judge pushed for the girl to be brought before a court and gave the police time till August 2, adding that if they could not bring her, then the IGP would have to make a court appearance in place of the two police officers.
On July 28, the girl was recovered from Mandi Bahauddin as per sources. By the time she was in police custody, it was late and courts were closed, so she was kept overnight at the Women’s Police Station in Sitara Market, Islamabad.
Besides this, five people were arrested, but even now the main accused has not been arrested.
“These people were relatives of the main accused, Haider Ali and Waqar Ali, both brothers,” said Safdar Chaudhry who has been lobbying for the recovery of the girl. Chaudhry is both a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and chairperson of an NGO Rah-e-Nijaat Ministry Pakistan. The five accused were shifted to Adiala jail under judicial custody while the girl has made an appearance and given an informal statement in front of Assistant Commissioner Uzair Ali Khan (rural).
“The girl has not given a formal statement yet. The statement she gave was the exact same as written on the religion acceptance form,” said Chaudhry. “She was repeating the same words, that she had gone and gotten married of her own free will and also converted because of the same. She has been given two days to think before she makes an informal statement. Currently she is at the Darul Aman.”
The marriage cannot be accepted under the ambit of the law under any circumstances however, even if the girl says it was of her own free will as this comes under child marriage.
On Tuesday it is expected that the parents will be moving application for access to their daughter as they have not been able to meet her as yet.
“The lower level police have been quite inefficient since the beginning,” says Chaudhry. “It was only after pressure from the civil society including from National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR), HRCP, and after the news coverage of the incident was when there was pressure on the police.”
Voicepk’s coverage of the incident was first published on July 22, a day before one of the hearings.