by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Police in Punjab Province, Pakistan, have refused to file charges against a Muslim man who attempted to rape a heavily pregnant Christian co-worker and caused her to lose her unborn child in the process, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Employed at a brick kiln in Kasur District, Punjab Province, Rakhil Nadeem Masih was eight months pregnant when a co-worker, identified only as Chand, attacked her in her living quarters at the kiln on Nov. 6, MSN reports. Her husband, Nadeem Masih, rescued her after hearing her screams and found her battered and bleeding, with Chand still kicking her in front of their three children.
“The poor couple’s unborn child was murdered,” Rights activist Napolean Qayyum told MSN. “The medical report certifies that the woman was brutally tortured, which caused the baby’s death, yet the police are still refusing to register an FIR [First Information Report].”
Masih told MSN that he has come to learn that Chand was being protected by Chaudhry Abdul Rehman, the influential Muslim owner of the brick kiln. Rehman is understood to have leaned not only on the police but also on the doctor who refused to sign the medico-legal certificate in order that charges could be filed against Chan.
Sohail Habil, executive director of Christian rights group HARDS Pakistan, a Christian rights group, said his organization was suing the police for inaction in this case. “Registration of an FIR is the right of every citizen of Pakistan, regardless of their social standing,” Habil told MSN. “The police must ensure that the accused is booked for assaulting the poor woman and killing her unborn child.”
Pakistan is ruled by a harsh Islamic regime and ranks 7th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.