ANS (03/15/06) A Christian mans brother and sister-in-law have been put behind the bars on charges of alleged theft after he married a Muslim girl, bringing an end to their love affair that spanned for some five years.
According to the Pakistan Christian Post (PCP), a Christian man, Nadeem, 23 who was living in an extended family in Lahore , fell in love with a Muslim girl named Rukhsana aged 22.
Rukhsana, a student, eloped with Nadeem, a photographer, on August 12, 2005 and the lovers tied wedding knot.
Rukhsanas brother alleged that Nadeems brother, Shafeeq and his wife Sarafin, had stolen two Kg gold ornaments worth Rs. 4,50,000 and a wrist watch.
Police registered the case on August 15, 2005 under section 380 PPC at the Shumali Chauni Police Station in Lahore .
Fearing a backlash from Rukhsanas family members, Shafeeq and rest of family members fled to Karachi to stay with their relatives.
After some time, Nadeem and Rukhsana also joined them there. Anticipating that things may have returned to normal the family staged a come back after two months.
While they were on their way to Lahore , Rukhsanas brothers intercepted them.
The PCP report claimed that Nadeem, Rukhsana, Sarafin, Nadeems brother Sohail, and one of Shafeeqs son, named Nomi, were exposed to torture by Rukhsanas brothers.
Rukhsana managed to make a phone call to emergency police. She recorded her statement before Superintendent of police that she got married with Nadeem of her free will and her brothers and uncles detained and unlawfully tortured her and her in-laws (Sarafin and other family members). After having the statement of Rukhsana, the Superintendent of Police released all of them. Rukhsana and Nadeem went to unknown place while other family members went to Sialkot , the PCP quoted the Chief Coordinator of Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP), Sohail Johnson as saying.
The girls brothers had apparently hobnobbed with the police and it is alleged that the Police officials did not take any action against them.
The Muslim girls household allegedly stepped up pressure on police and forced them to file theft case against Nadeems sister in law, Sarafin, and other family members.
The situation forced Sarafins family members to take refuge in their relatives house in another city.
Sarafin, along with her daughters and sons, took refuge in the district of Sialkot in the house of her brother while her husband Shafeeq stayed in Lahore in a safe place.
On 7th March 2006 police raided at a house in Sialkot and arrested Sarafin, Nadeems brother, Sohail, and one of Sarafins sons named Nomi. Shafeeq contacted Sohail Johnson and broke the news of his spouses arrest.
The SLMP team rushed to the police station and met with investigation officer of the case. The officer investigating the case told the team members that police had arrested Sarafin and Sohail formally because they were named in FIR while Nomi was not named in the FIR.
Johnson asked the investigation officer why the police arrested Nomi when his name was not in the FIR. The SLMP coordinator could not get any plausible answer to his question. He demanded of police to hand over Nomi to him.
After a while police produced Sarafin and Sohail before magistrate. The SLMP appointed a lawyer for the bail of Sarafin and Sohail.
The lawyer immediately filed bail petitions and the judge ordered Investigation Officer to present the record of the case on March 8 and Sarafin and Sohail were sent to judicial lock up, John was quoted as saying by PCP.
The court had fixed March 11as date for hearing of the case. SLMPs Chief coordinator sent Nomi with his father Shafeeq after he contacted him. It merits mentioning here that whereabouts of Nadeem and Rukhsana are not known yet.
