04/09/2021 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – According to Asia News, Nageena Yunus, mother of Huma Yunus, spoke out against Pakistani politicians claiming that religious minorities enjoy full freedom in Pakistan.

On Easter Sunday, Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar, the Governor of Punjab, claimed that religious minorities in Pakistan enjoyed full freedom under the current PTI government. He went on to claim that the government was making every effort to ensure the rights of minorities were being respected.

This claim, however, has been disputed by Nageena Yunus, the mother of Huma Yunus. More than a year and a half ago, Huma was kidnapped by a Muslim man, forcefully converted to Islam, and married to her captor. Since then, Nageena, and her husband Yunus, have been fighting to have their daughter returned.

“I am crying and begging in front of the courts, police, and ministers to ask for justice for my daughter,” Nageena told Asia News. “How do you say that in Pakistan minorities enjoy full freedom? Our daughters are not safe, they are kidnapped, forced to be married and converted to fulfill evil desires.”

Nageena claims she has been threatened with blasphemy charges for her campaign to get her daughter back. She also reports that she has received little assistance from authorities in her efforts.

“If what happened to me had happened to these politicians, would they have the courage to say the same things?” Nageena questioned.

According to a 2014 study by The Movement for Solidarity and Peace Pakistan, an estimated 1,000 women and girls from Pakistan’s Hindu and Christian community are abducted, forcefully married to their captor, and forcibly converted to Islam every year. The issue of religion is also often injected into cases of sexual assault to place religious minority victims at a disadvantage. Playing upon religious biases, perpetrators know they can cover up and justify their crimes by introducing the element of religion.

For interviews, please contact Alison Garcia: press@persecution.org.