Tahira Salamat, a 20-year-old Christian woman in Pakistan, was abducted on her way to work last September, forced to convert to Islam, and married to a Muslim, Muhammad Ramazan, against her will.  Her mother and father searched for her frantically and reported her missing to the police, but they offered little help.

In desperation, the victim's family turned to the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), a human rights body of the Catholic Church in Pakistan. The CCJP then approached the Lahore High Court, Multan Bench, on behalf of Salamat Masih [Tahira's father] and his family. Their case was forwarded to the Session Court, Vehari district, by the High Court, which instructed local police officials to locate the girl.

Tahira was finally found at Muhammad Ramazan's house on January 23, 2008, and from there police handed her over to her parents. However, the kidnappers have so far escaped any reprimand. At the time this story was written, none of them had been arrested.

The court has not yet decided on the status of the forced marriage but, whether the court upholds or annuls the marriage, Tahira’s future appears grim.  Even if she is released from the relationship and allowed to stay at her family home, many Muslims would regard her as an apostate deserving of death.

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