Pakistani Christian Girl, 14, Abducted and Raped
A 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan was abducted and raped in what her family alleges was a targeted act of retaliation. According to her brother, Sahil George, the assault was carried out by Muslim neighbors following a prior dispute.
George, a 21-year-old member of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Sahiwal, Punjab Province, stated that his sister was intercepted on December 7 after leaving home briefly to buy bread. “Muhammad Bilal Arshad and Muhammad Zohaib forced her at gunpoint onto a motorcycle and took her to a house,” George reported. “They locked her in a room, where Zohaib raped her.”
After the girl failed to return, the family began searching the area. “Two residents informed us that a girl had been left outside a house by motorcycle riders and was semi-conscious,” George said. “We rushed there and found my sister.”
Police were contacted and transported the victim to a hospital, where a medical examination confirmed the sexual assault. Authorities initially arrested Arshad, Zohaib, and a third individual, Shamil Arshad. However, George stated that Bilal Arshad and Shamil Arshad were later released after Zohaib claimed sole responsibility.
George, who became the primary provider for his widowed mother and sisters after his father’s death years ago, linked the attack to a confrontation months earlier at a cock-fighting event. A dispute arose when Bilal Arshad’s group withheld a prize from George and his friends. “We took the trophy and money we had won, and they held a grudge,” he explained. He added that the accused had confronted and threatened his sister on the street days prior, vowing revenge for their perceived humiliation.
“Some are pressuring me to settle with the accused,” George said. “But how can I compromise on my sister’s honor and life? If they wanted revenge, they should have taken it from me. Instead, they targeted my younger sister, scarring her for life.”
The case has drawn condemnation from human rights advocates within Pakistan. Syed Talat Abbas Shah, President of the organization **Action for Humanity**, publicly decried the brutal act, calling for immediate and impartial justice. He emphasized that such targeted violence against minority women represents a grave failure of the state’s duty to protect all its citizens equally.
More broadly, advocates note that women and girls from Pakistan’s religious minority communities, such as Christians and Hindus, face disproportionately high risks of sexual violence. “Minority women are at greater risk due to overlapping discrimination based on gender, religion, socio-economic status, and caste,” said Albert Patras, a human rights activist working with survivors in South Punjab.
Patras noted that despite constitutional guarantees, minority women often experience systemic neglect and limited legal protection. “Perpetrators frequently escape accountability. In this case, a primary accused was released based on a co-accused’s confession, despite the victim clearly identifying his involvement.” He urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation based on the victim’s testimony and ensure all responsible are held accountable. “The police must ensure justice without discrimination or pressure,” he emphasized.
Pakistan, where over 96% of the population is Muslim, ranks eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.