Relatives of a Muslim in Pakistan who raped a 14-year-old Christian girl are threatening her family to compel them to drop charges, sources said.
Javed Masih of Chak No. R-97/6 village in Sahiwal District, Punjab Province, said that Sajid Ali, married son of his employer Mukhtar Ali, went to his house on June 14 while Masih and his wife were working in the fields and raped their daughter while she was alone at home.
“The accused raped her at gunpoint and before leaving threatened her that he would kill me if she told anyone about the incident,” Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Fearing for my life, my innocent daughter kept silent about the barbarity that she had suffered at the hands of Sajid Ali.”
Masih said that he and his wife learned of the assault two weeks later, after they became concerned that their daughter, whose name is withheld as a rape victim, was not acting like her usual self. A ninth-grade student who normally had a lively personality, she was avoiding her parents and siblings, he said.
“When her mother finally convinced her to share what was troubling her, she started crying and told her how Sajid Ali had raped her and threatened her to keep her mouth shut,” said Masih, a member of the local Brethren Church.
Though devastated, the impoverished family decided to keep silent about the assault for the sake of their children’s safety, he said.
“To be honest, our minds went numb with shock and fear, and we thought it was best for our family if we just kept quiet,” Masih said. “Sajid Ali’s family is extremely influential in the area due to their political connections and wealth, while we did not stand any chance to get justice due to our poverty and Christian faith.”
The family’s silence, however, emboldened the assailant, and he again targeted her on July 12, Masih said.
“We were working in the fields when someone told us that they had seen Sajid entering our house,” he said. “We quickly rushed home only to hear [name withheld] screaming in pain. I forced opened the room’s door and saw Sajid attempting to rape my daughter. He threatened to kill us if we tried to stop him from escaping, but we got hold of him and immediately called the police.”
Soon after police took Ali into custody and registered a case against him, his family began to pressure Masih to settle out of court, he said.
“When the police conducted her medical examination and confirmed that she had been raped, Ali’s family offered me 1 million Pakistani rupees [$3,500 USD] to withdraw the case,” he said. “When I rejected their offer, they started threatening me with dire consequences if I did not accept their demand.”
A team from legal group Christians’ True Spirit contacted him and offered unconditional support, he said.
“Though the accused is now in prison on judicial remand, his family has stepped up their threats, and I’m very concerned about my daughter’s security,” Masih said.
Masih asked for prayer as they begin the struggle to get justice.
Ali has been booked under Section 376 (iii) of the Pakistan Penal Code relating to rape of a minor, punishable with either death or imprisonment for life, and Section 511, said Katherine Sapna of Christians’ True Spirit. Section 511 covers situations where someone intends to commit a crime and takes steps towards it but fails to complete the act due to circumstances beyond their control.
CTS has also requested police add Section 452 of the PPC, which pertains to house-trespass after preparation for causing hurt, assault or wrongful restraint, she said.
“The accused’s family wields considerable influence in the area and may attempt to harm the girl or the family to prevent them from pursuing the case in court,” Sapna said. “We are cognizant of the threat and will take all measures necessary to protect them.”
The CTS executive director said she regretted that incidents of sexual violence against Christian girls, particularly from poor families, had increased in Punjab Province in recent years.
“This is mainly because the perpetrators think that they can get away with anything since their victims are too weak to oppose them,” she said.
Many Christian families are forced to suffer in silence due to barriers to access of justice, she added.
Pakistan, whose population is more than 96 percent Muslim, ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian.
