U.S. Lawmakers Urge Pakistan to Protect Christian Woman After Alleged Abduction

Eleven members of the U.S. Congress have sent a letter to Pakistan’s Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, requesting protection for 18-year-old Neha Faqir. Faqir, a Christian, disappeared on March 24 while traveling to a sewing center in Punjab’s Kasur District. Her family later located her at an Islamic seminary in Lahore, where they discovered she had converted to Islam. The family maintains the conversion was forced and that Faqir never expressed a desire to change her faith.

Following a June 9 court hearing where the Lahore High Court dismissed the family's petition for her return, the congressional group expressed concern over reports that Faqir was accompanied by Islamic clerics and that her family was denied the opportunity to speak with her. The lawmakers, led by Rep. Chris Smith, urged the Pakistani government to ensure Faqir’s safety, provide her with independent legal counsel, and allow private communication with her family. They emphasized the need for future judicial proceedings to be conducted without intimidation or undue influence.