The United Nations has designated November as the month to raise awareness on Gender
Base Violence. In its effort to deter GBV cases, CLAAS not only hold sessions for
survivors but also takes on a practical approach by defending the victims of GBV in
courts through existing legislation. There is a Gang involved in such activities whose
only mission is to lure and prey on the young girls from religious minorities,
especially young Christian women and girls. Members of this gang lure young girls into
developing relationships with older Muslim men and taking advantage of their poverty,
making them marry their abductors through conversion. The majority of these girls are
unaware of the consequences of such acts on their own lives and those of their parents
and siblings.
The following are details of two such cases where the predators took advantage of the
social and economic vulnerabilities of the Christian girls.
AT is a daughter of Tanvir Masih and Fozia Bibi. She is the oldest daughter of six children of Tanvir Masih and Fozia Bibi. She was a student of B.S. Honours in Government Degree College, Jaranwala. She was forced into a relationship with a Muslim Man. Once he gained her trust, he suggested that she abandon her family and elope with him. When on Sep 23rd 2025, AT did not return home from her college, as it got late, her parents got worried and started calling her friends and relatives. After finding no information on her whereabouts, they decided to approach the police for the registration of an FIR. On the application of Tanvir Masih police registered an FIR under section 365 B (abduction with malicious intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The following day, Tanvir Masih, with his wife Fozia Bibi, visited their daughter's college to find some clues. There, they met one of their daughter's classmate, who told them that she saw AT with a former Muslim classmate named Awais. They immediately approached the police with new information, but instead of making efforts to recover the missing girl, the police told them to go home. After waiting several days for the police to take action, they then approached CLAAS for legal assistance in this matter.
CLAAS immediately filed a habeas petition in the Lahore High Court for the recovery of the missing AT. The court immediately took action on the filed petition and ordered the concerned police station to produce the girl in the court. On October 1st 2025, Urban City police produced AT in the court; she was accompanied by her Muslim husband and his male friends who circled her. It was evident from her behaviour that she was under the influence of the abductor.
The defense lawyer presented a conversion certificate along with her marriage certificate to the Court. It is worth mentioning that as soon as the word conversion was mentioned in the Court, lawyers swarmed into the courtroom to show solidarity with the abductor. The court told CLAAS lawyer that the girl is of legal age of marriage age and can decide who she wants to live with. In response, CLAAS Lawyer pleaded to the judge to allow her parents a separate meeting time. The judge allowed the meeting, after which the girl decided to go with the Muslim husband, and the petition was disposed off.
In a separate case, Samina Shoukat, wife of Niamat Masih, approached CLAAS on Sep 30th 2025 for legal assistance to recover their 21-year-old missing daughter SN. According to the facts, SN was working as a salesgirl at the Euro convenience store for over one year. On the day of the occurrence, September 20th, 2025, she left home to collect her matriculation certificate from her school but did not return home.
When the parents tried to contact her on her phone, it was turned off. After several attempts, they got worried about the safety of their daughter. They then approached the local police and, after filing an application, a formal FIR was registered under section 365B (abduction with malicious intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Despite the registration of a case police failed to take any action to recover the missing girl.
After listening to the aggrieved parents, CLAAS filed a Habeas corpus petition in the Lahore High Court for the recovery of SN. The High Court took immediate action and instructed the local police station to produce SN in the court. On the fixed date, October 6th, 202,5 SN was produced in the court of Justice Muhammad Jawad Zafar. The defense lawyer produced a marriage certificate along with the conversion certificate before the court.
Seeing those documents, the Judge told the CLAAS lawyer that the girl was of legal age and had the right to marry of her free will. The CLAAS lawyer requested the Judge to let the parents meet with their daughter separately in the hope of convincing the girl to change her mind. The court allowed the parents to have a separate meeting. The police and the Muslim supporters of the abductor hovered around the girl during the meeting. During a thirty-minute meeting, both parents touched their daughter’s feet and begged her to come back, but she was under a heavy influence of her abductor and left with her Muslim husband, leaving her family and parents crying in pain.
