2023-12-03 12:53:03
A Christian girl who spent two years in captivity, kidnapped by a Muslim in Pakistan to forcibly convert to Islam and become his wife, managed to put into practice a daring escape plan, and is now sharing her testimony.
It was May 2021 when Nayab Gill, who was just 13 years old at the time, was picked up at her home in Gujranwala by Saddam Hayat, 30 years old, married and father of four, to “take her to work” in his car. Cases similar to this occur frequently in Pakistan.
“Saddam was a frequent visitor to our home. He owned a few stores in our area, one of which was rented by my father. Saddam promised to pay me a salary of 10,000 Pakistani rupees ($34) and said the money would help my poor family supplement their income. My father reluctantly agreed to his proposal because Saddam told him that I was like his own daughter,” said Nayab.
The young woman, now 15 years old, said that before the kidnapping, Saddam tried at least twice to attack her at work, forcing her to keep a safe distance: “I was afraid that if I told my family about the advances of Saddam, my father prevented me from working and my family lost the money we so desperately needed”, he recalled.
On the day of the kidnapping, instead of taking the girl to the salon where he worked selling facial products, Saddam took her to a deserted house, where he forced her to renounce her Christian faith and sign a blank paper. Nayab says that shortly after she was held hostage, Saddam threatened her with a gun, saying that if she did not succumb to his will, he would kill her and her father.
“I screamed and cried, but no one heard me. After getting the paper signed by force, Saddam locked me in a room and left. I was kept there for two days, during which I received food only once in 24 hours,” the young woman narrated. “On the third day, Saddam came and told me that my father had registered a case of kidnapping against him. He told me that I would be brought before a judge and that if I did not testify that I had converted to Islam and married him of my own free will, my family and I would be killed on the court premises.”
Nayab recorded a statement in court in favor of her kidnapper. He was given custody of Nayab as his legal wife in front of her helpless parents who were crying for their daughter, according to information from the portal The Christian Post.
Nayab’s ordeal worsened after the court gave custody to her kidnapper.
“Saddam then took me to his house and locked me in a room on the second floor. During my two years in captivity, he repeatedly attacked me against my will and treated me like a slave. But I didn’t lose hope and my faith in Christ!”
“I prayed every night, saying, ‘God, please help me.’ I also prayed for the safety of my family. They refused to give up and continued moving through the court system for my recovery. But I was too scared to reveal the truth. Every time I was summoned to court, I said I was an adult and I married Saddam of my own free will.”
Nayab says he lived a true nightmare: “Saddam’s family treated me like a pariah. I was often humiliated for being born into a Christian family. There were times when I thought I should end my life, but I think it was my faith in God that gave me the strength to face it. situation”.
Her perseverance in prayer allowed her to find an opportunity to escape in April this year: “It was the last week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when Saddam’s ex-wife registered a case against him for threatening her. Afraid of being arrested, Saddam and his brothers fled the house, but in the rush of things they forgot to lock me in.”
“It felt like God had answered my prayers for freedom. I discreetly left the house and started running, not even knowing where the road would take me. I stopped at a market to catch my breath when a Muslim woman approached me. She must have sensed something wasn’t right. She asked me if I needed help. I told her I didn’t have money or a phone to contact my father. She took me to her house, where I could contact my family”, summarized the young woman.
When he managed to make contact with his parents, Nayab informed them of the situation and they soon came to his rescue: “I have no words to express the joy I felt when I saw my father. Tears rolled down our eyes as he hugged me and kissed my forehead, promising to keep me safe forever.”
Nayab’s father had filed a second petition with the Supreme Court in July 2021, but the court scheduled a hearing two years later. When the court finally heard the case in September 2023, it rejected the petition as being “infructuous” or useless because the girl had already returned to her family.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s decision reiterates a precedent that allows more cases of sexual exploitation of Christian teenagers in Pakistan under the pretext of religious conversion. Nayab lamented the situation: “I hoped the Supreme Court would listen to my story, but it seems like they weren’t interested. Now I want to resume my studies and make friends. It’s not safe to be a girl in Pakistan.”
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