Parwasha and her family.
Parwasha an innocent eight year old child was kidnapped on her way back from school on 24th November 2015, by two Muslim women, she was then brutally
beaten by the women who used sticks, stripped naked before two male family members and then left naked in the streets. The poor wounded girl
was not helped by any onlookers and had to pick herself up and run home naked crying in shame and pain. As she run the cruel family that had
meted out the violence laughed at her as they threw her clothes on a garbage pile and burnt them.
The violence on poor Parwasha was in retaliation to an interreligious relationship between Parwasha’s uncle a Iftikhar Masih a Christian and a Muslim
girl Samina. When her family discovered the sordid affair they demanded the uncle convert to Islam and marry Samina. When Iftikhar refused
to follow the instructions of Samina’s family the family conspired to enact some retribution.
Initially Samina’s family called a panchayat (village council of community elders) at the meeting they alleged that Iftikhar had stolen gold jewellery
and money from them. Iftikhar explained the truth about the affair and asked for forgiveness. Samina’s family however felt extremely embarrassed
and that Samina had been dishonoured publicly. They planned to dishonour a woman from Iftikhars family and sadly the lot fell upon poor Perwasha.
Samina and her mother the next day abducted Parwasha on her way to school and enacted the heinous crime.
The grandfather of Pershawa Sher Masih was extremely incensed, boldly he went to the the local police station but they refused to register an FIR.
Instead the police officers arrested Sher Masiah and Iftikhar two days later at the behest of Samina’s family. suggested the two families settle
the dispute in a panchayat. At the Panchayat the Christian family have been told that they must sell their property within a month and leave their
town, to which they have agreed under duress, rather then face excessive and severe retribution.
The family intend to move away from the area as Kasur is no longer safe and require help with the relocation as their property is worth very little
within the most deprived areas of Pakistan. They are seeking help with the cost of relocation which will mean they will lose their current employment.
Moreover they require assistance with the costs of legal cover for an attempt to get justice for Parwasha through the formal legal courts.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said:
“This violent attack was unprovoked, unwarranted and evil to the core. Parwasha suffered great shame but has ostensibly recovered well. However there is no knowing what manner of long term scarring this incident will have had on her frail, vulnerable mind. The eye for an eye mentality that extremely conservative Muslims in Pakistan so often espouse in culture and practice is wholly detestable. The sad truth is the perpetrators of the heinous crime will most likely slip the legal system, for no other reason then the existing low social status of Christians.”
BPCA has launched an appeal for the family of Parwash. We really hope to help with the legal costs, help towards rent and other assistance that the
victim family will now need as they cope with a forced relocation.
If you would like to contribute towards our appeal our bank details, paypal/visa payment facility can be found (here)
Please use reference: Love for Parwasha