A Christian family in Pakistan has been left devastated after police refused to register a case about the alleged kidnapping and forced marriage of their 13-year-old daughter, Sania Amin. Despite the frantic appeals of her father Amin Masih, authorities have turned a blind eye, claiming the young girl converted to Islam and wed her supposed abductor.
The harrowing ordeal began on April 4 when Sania disappeared while out buying groceries near her home in the village of Anjotar, Sialkot. Her sister raised the alarm after witnessing three Muslim boys, including one named Saif Ali, dragging the terrified teenager away.
When Masih rushed to the local police station in Sadder to report his daughter missing, officers shockingly declined to lodge a First Information Report against the alleged kidnapper Saif Ali. They cited Sania's supposed conversion to Islam and marriage as the reason for not pursuing the case.
The distraught family has made repeated pleas to investigators, even presenting documents that appear to show Sania's forced conversion and wedding. However, the police have remained unmoved, indifferent to the potential criminality of marrying a child.
Nasir Saeed, Director of the UK-based centre for legal aid CLAAS, condemned the authorities' "blatant inaction" and flagrant disregard for laws prohibiting child marriage. He lambasted the government's seeming apathy towards the plight of Pakistan's religious minorities like the Amin family.
"It's incomprehensible how such cases continue to surface daily, and yet the Pakistani government, law enforcement agencies, and courts seem indifferent to the plight of these victims and their families. The blatant inaction in Sania's case, where even the child marriage restraint laws are being overlooked, is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan," Mr Saeed stated.
Sania’s kidnapping and forced marriage was flagged by CHINGARI (Coalition for Hindu Girls Abducted and their Rights) on their X account as well as YouTuber Raheel Majid who did a video on this.
As the desperate search for Sania continues, her impoverished father, who earns a meagre living stitching footballs, has escalated appeals to higher authorities. However, his cries for his young daughter's return have so far fallen on deaf ears.
