Salma Munir, a mentally ill 25-year-old Christian woman in Sheikhupura, Pakistan, was kidnapped, repeatedly raped, and ultimately died in June 2024. The horrifying details emerged when the accused, Omar alias Khatri, son of Sarwar Khokher from Ajnianwala, threatened Salma's younger sister, Nisha Munir.
Nisha, terrified by Omar's threats of making her disappear like her sister, confided in her family. Munir Masih, the father, then lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at the Farooq Abad police station. The FIR includes charges against Omar under sections 371-A, 317-B, 322, 506, and 509 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
In the FIR, Masih recounted the harrowing events:
"Omar kidnapped my daughter Salma a few days earlier. He sold her to other people and forced her into the sex trade. She was sold multiple times until we found her in Hafizabad in critical condition. We pleaded with the people there to let us take her home for treatment. Despite our efforts, she succumbed to her injuries on June 25, 2024."
The family, impoverished and powerless, initially felt helpless to pursue justice against the influential kidnapper. However, the renewed threats against Nisha prompted them to report the matter to the police urgently. Masih has requested police protection for his family members, fearing further retaliation.
The Munir family, consisting of Munir Masih, his wife Zahida, and their eight children (six daughters and two sons), are all labourers. Their livelihood involves cleaning farmhouses and feeding animals. The family lives in their own home but faces job insecurity and harsh working conditions. Masih, elderly and weak, is unable to work, placing the burden of earning on his children, including Nisha, who works as a domestic worker in multiple households.
CLAAS-UK has expressed profound anger and concern over the tragic death of innocent Salma, and described the incident as both sad and unforgivable, emphasizing the urgent need to bring all perpetrators to justice. However, there is much skepticism about achieving justice due to the victim's Christian identity. We doubt that the police or the justice system would treat the case with the seriousness it deserves.
This is a kind of case that must be taken up by the Chief Justice of Pakistan as a suo moto action. Justice should not only be served for this poor family but also set an example to deter such heinous acts in the future. Although this case is fit for suo moto intervention, I fear no action will be taken, and the family will be denied justice.
There are compounded disadvantages faced by Christian girls in Pakistan, who suffer due to their gender, poverty, and religious minority status. The law consistently favours the influential and Muslim perpetrators of crimes against Christians. Abductions, forced conversions, and coerced marriages to their kidnappers, many of whom are already married with children, are common. These girls are sometimes sold and pushed into the sex trade, as happened to Salma. Her case is not the first, nor will it be the last, but it must be taken seriously.
Authorities should provide justice for the Munir family and to take definitive steps to prevent such atrocities in the future. Salma's case must serve as a wake-up call. The authorities need to act decisively to protect vulnerable communities and ensure that justice is not just a privilege for the influential but a right for all.
The Free World, for its own interests, would do itself a service to draw national and international attention to the systemic injustices faced by marginalized communities in Pakistan, urging immediate and meaningful action to address these human rights violations.
Nasir Saeed is Director of CLAAS-UK -- Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, an interdenominational organisation working for Christians who are being persecuted because of their faith in Pakistan.
