Local Christians protest against Noban's 'murder'. Photo via assistnews.net

At least four Muslims �?murder’ Pakistani Christian woman

At least four Muslim men allegedly murdered a Christian woman last month since she was pursuing a theft case against two of the four men named in the Police First Information Report (FIR) in connection with her murder, reports Sheraz Khurram Khan, special correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan.

The two Muslim men named Yaqoob and Hadyat had allegedly robbed the deceased of gold ornaments and cash some six months before her murder.

Noban, 65, a resident of village Khraper in district Kasur of the Punjab province of Pakistan had accused the two Muslim men of theft, but the Police apparently showed indifference and apathy toward the Christian woman instead of arresting the accused.

The Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan’s (SLMP) Chief Coordinator, Sohail Johnson, told ANS that police “pressured Noban to withdraw application against the Muslim men.”

Johnson said that the deceased remained steadfast believing that firmness of her stance against the accused would force the Police to apprehend them.

“On the contrary, the Muslim men threatened her with death if she did not stop pursuing the case against them,” he said.

Johnson went on to say that undeterred by the threats, Noban insisted that she would not compromise on anything less than justice.

Hadyat and Yaqoob along with two accomplices allegedly hit Noban in the head with a pickaxe while she was asleep on the night of July 2, 2008, and she died as a result of the head injury.

The Police of Ganda Singh Wala registered a case vide First Police Information Report (FIR) No. 153/2008 offence under section 302/34 of Pakistan Penal Code.

Dara Masih, husband of the deceased, approached the SLMP after experiencing the police’s ruthlessness.

“The Police are pressuring him to broker reconciliation with the accused instead of arresting them,” Sohail Johnson told ANS.

The Police have arrested Hadyat and Sharif, two of the four men named in the Police FIR, but Sohail Johnson said the police say they did not find them guilty during investigation.

The investigation of the case was later transferred from Station House Officer (SHO) to the Superintendent of Police due to the efforts of SLMP.

Sohail said that he regretted that shifting of the investigation to the Superintendent as this “did not make much difference” as like the SHO, the Superintendent of Police “was also pressuring Dara Masih for reconciliation.”

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[08/28/2008]

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