BPCA Officer Mehwish Bhatti prays with Sumble.
On 13th January 2016 BPCA reported on the tragic killing of Kiran Masih, who died after rejecting the advances of several inebriated Muslim boys in
a maroon vehicle. Many witnesses saw the incident which occurred at the busy time of 9pm in Lahore, a city known for its night time economy
with shoppers out till early morning.
The driver involved in the incident was caught and arrested and is still incarcerated, however apparently his family have met with the three affected
families of the victims Sumble, Shamroza and Kiran Masih (RIP) and have expressed their great sympathy and pain at the actions of their son. Kiran’s
father died two years ago from a heart attack
The mother of Kiran Masih, Suriya Bibi described the meeting, she said:
“The family of the driver have expressed great sorrow for all the victims and have asked for forgiveness for them and their young son. We have all shed a great load of tears and nothing can bring my daughter back. I am very angry and upset by the loss of my daughter but punishing the young man who has taken my daughter away from me will not bring her back. I have decided not to take action against him as I and my family do not want to go through the court process which will only increase the hurt we feel. so we have decided to show love and compassion and have forgiven the family. Our Lord Jesus Christ forgave those that persecuted Him and we have chosen to follow his example.”
All three families have chosen forgiveness and have refrained form sharing their story with other groups. Sumble’s uncle, Rasheed Joya, is a
former employee of peace campaigner and politician Julius Salik and he helped broker peace between the families. It has been a very difficult
time for all the families but they have all expressed great satisfaction with this final outcome.
The driver’s family have agreed to pay a large compensatory figure to all three victim families. The figure has not been disclosed but is believed
to be sizeable for the family of Kiran. The family have expressed in no uncertain terms that this is not the reason for their magnanimity.
Suriya Bibi said:
“I have not sold my daughters for a few dollars I have chosen forgiveness and love as Christ would have. Pursuing justice would only cause more hate and pain and that is not something I will drag the rest of my family through. We have suffered enough already and just want to get on with the rest of our lives.”
BPCA officer Mehwish Bhatti had offered to pay three months wages for Sumble and Shamroza and to pay all the funeral costs for the family, but they have declined the offer. They have told us that they do not need the money and will not prevent the use of the money from helping victims that need it. Mehwish prayed with the families and has offered ongoing trauma counselling and our assistance if they require it.
Mehwish Bhatti said:
“Having met with the families I sense a genuine nature to their forgiveness. This family have been deeply hurt but have chosen love over continuing
the hatred. The family of the driver have stated that he has great remorse for his actions and has learnt the consequences of his devious actions.
His parents have wept with the injured families and have expressed their sorrow, sympathies and own regret at the impact of their son’s actions.”
Mehwish Bhatt told us that the actions of the three families reminds her of a verse from the bible.
Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV):
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
For now the driver remains in prison but it is believed he will be released by the courts after his criminal hearing, as there will be a lack of evidence
for the conviction, a process which is not unusual in Pakistan. Other witnesses involved in the initial reports that led to his arrest will no
doubt disappear. The other men involved in the incident have never been named and will have escaped justice.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the BPCA, said:
“The choice of the family to forgive their attackers may or may not be the result of many factors. We have no idea if any duress was applied or whether the lack of a father figure in Kiran’s family was a deciding factor in Pakistan’s patriarchal society. However the choice of the family to decline our offer of fiscal support suggests that finance was not a primary motive. It seems the perpetrators of the violence towards the Christian girls will now escape justice and I can only hope and pray that these young men will learn their lesson and avoid such callous acts in the future. Sadly through the magnanimity of these three Christian families Pakistan’s justice system once again will fail to convict perpetrators of an evil crime.”
BPCA help many victims such as these girls, without your help we cannot sustain our work.
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Please use reference: Love for Pakistani Christians
The Family of Sumble pray for peace in Pakistan
Mehwish Bhatti deep in prayer
Shamroza