A minor Christian girl, who was allegedly kidnapped about five months ago, has been recovered and returned to her parents in Chak 233 RB, Hari Singhwala, Faisalabad.
According to an FIR filed on February 11 under sections 376, 364, 365, 420, 468, and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 11-year-old Laiba, daughter of Suhail Maseeh, was abducted by Irfan Maseeh and his five accomplices. She was then handed over to Shafqat Shah, who forcibly converted her to Islam and married her.
Various police investigations have confirmed that Laiba was underage and that her marriage to Shah was illegal, occurring only after her forced conversion. The probes also found that her transfer from Darul Aman to Shafqat Shah was against regulations.
Christian leaders Lala Daniel Robin, Shazia George, Romana Bashir, Saiqa Rehmat, Shaheen Anthony, Pervez Iqbal Bhatti, Yashwa Bhatti, and Laiba’s father, Suhail Maseeh, expressed their gratitude to international and Pakistani human rights organizations during a press conference on Sunday for advocating for Laiba’s recovery.
Death: Renowned playback singer Ali Raza, a former member of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s team, passed away after a long illness in an Australian hospital on Sunday. A resident of D-Type Colony, Faisalabad, he had been suffering from heart disease.
Homicide: In Siraj Basti, Samundri, Faisalabad, Muhammad Shafiq killed his wife, Faiza Bibi, following a minor argument on Sunday. Reports indicate that Shafiq, who had been visiting relatives with his wife and children, shot her during the quarrel. She died instantly. The police have arrested Shafiq.
PTI Rally: Twenty-two Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activists were charged with violating a rally ban by the Satellite Town police in Jhang on Sunday. ASI Mahmood Akbar filed an FIR under section 188 of the PPC, stating that despite section 144 CrPC being in effect in Jhang, PTI activists, including Farooq Jamil Gujjar and Usman Kaluana, held a rally. Efforts are underway to arrest the activists.
FIA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) opened its advanced ‘Second Line Border Control’ office at Multan airport on Sunday, the second of its kind after the one at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport. An FIA spokesperson said the system, set up in collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, will aid in preventing illegal immigration and is equipped with modern forensic and IT tools to scrutinize fake visas and documents.
Additionally, FIA Multan Circle arrested Benazir Income Support Programme supervisor Muhammad Bilal and agent Muhammad Zain for alleged misappropriation of BISP funds.
