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Islamabad: A nine year old Christian girl in
Pakistan was reportedly gang-raped before being killed
and dumped in a canal. And outrage is growing amid
reports that almost a month later no arrest has been
made.
Nisha Javid was walking close to her home when she
suddenly disappeared, prompting her parents to mount a
search for her.
Barely two days later, with a police led search
underway, her body was found in a canal not far from the
Javids' home in Essangri village, outside the town of
Jaranawala, Faisalabad.
A post mortem revealed Nisha had been gang-raped and had
died after repeated blows to the head.
More than three weeks later, police have been accused of
inaction and refusing to follow up allegedly compelling
evidence identifying the guilty party.
Fr. Yaqub Masih, parish priest of Jaranwala, said,
“People here are very sad especially the family.”
He explained that Nisha's mother is “ill with grief” and
that her father is unable to work and is devoting every
hour to win justice for his daughter's death, working
with police and lawyers.
Masih underlined the impact of the attacks on other
Christians.
"If nothing is done about this, where can our children
go to feel safe? Everyone feels very insecure and very
afraid," he said.
The crime took place on April 9 Maundy Thursday in Holy
Week and Christians believe the attack was intended as
an insult to their faith. "Our people are very poor and
they have no status in society," said Masih. "What can
they do to protect themselves?"
He reported that the police have been publicly accused
of corruption and failing to intensify their inquiries.
"The police action has been very slow," he noted. "And
that has made the people here feel even more powerless."
His comments come amid an upsurge of anti-Christian
violence and intimidation in Pakistan.
Nisha's death follows a narrowly-averted attack on
Christians in Jaranawala, prompted by accusations that a
man had allegedly damaged a banner containing words from
the Koran, thereby breaking Pakistan's controversial
blasphemy laws.
Also this month in the southern city of Karachi, four
people, including an 11-year old boy, were injured in
attacks on Christians that took place on April 22.
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