HARIPUR: A Christian couple here on Wednesday alleged the abduction, forced conversion and marriage of their ‘underage’ daughter.

       They also accused a local PTI leader and police of supporting the accused.

       The girl’s mother, Noreen Maseeh, of Mubin Banda area in Ghazi tehsil reported the matter to the police and released a video message along with husband Francis Maseeh.

       In a written complaint, she told the police that her daughter, a ninth grader, went missing from her room at around 12:45am on Aug 3 while preparing for her exam paper next morning.

       The complainant alleged that a resident of the locality kidnapped her daughter and a local PTI leader’s son was involved in the abduction.

       Seeks protection amid threats

       She insisted that the PTI leader had promised help in her daughter’s early return but didn’t keep his promise.

       The woman insisted that she learned from resident Akhtar Shah on Aug 9 about the court marriage of her daughter with the kidnapper in Swabi district after conversion to Islam.

       She claimed that her daughter wasn’t eligible for marriage as the Nadra registration certificate showed that she was born on Jan 10, 2007, and her age was 14.6 years.

       “My daughter is a minor child, who can’t be married off under the law,” she said.

       Ms Noreen said she again contacted the PTI leader, who hurled threats at her and her family and pressured her for a compromise.

       She complained that the Ghazi police didn’t register an FIR and urged her not to pursue the case insisting her daughter had eloped with the accused and converted to Islam before marrying him in the court.

       The complainant sought protection for her family and relatives.

       When contacted, SHO of Ghazi police station Shafiqur Rehman said the police formally received an application six days after the ‘kidnapping’ incident.

       He said the application was ambiguous as the Christian couple didn’t ‘directly’ name anyone for their daughter’s abduction.

       The SHO said the preliminary investigation showed that the Christian girl had solemnised court marriage in Swabi after converting to Islam of her own free will, but he hadn’t received anydocuments for it.

       He said he had called the Christian family to the police station thrice to name the alleged kidnapper for FIR registration and girl’s recovery.

       Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2021