Alishba Bibi, beaten and humiliated by a Muslim family, calls for a
stop to "anti-Christian attacks"

by Shafique Khokhar

The 30-years-old mother of four children was brutally attacked by
powerful local Muslims, dragged in the street, her clothes torn off.
Police arrested and then released the accused, changing their initial
report. The pre-bail hearing set for last Friday was postponed until
today. Under protection, Alishba plans to fight the case for herself
and the Christian community.

12/09/2014

Faisalabad (AsiaNews) - "I was beaten and humiliated in broad daylight
just because I belong to the Christian community. I will fight for
justice and put the culprits behind bars, so that other poor
Christians like me can be spared this in the future," said Alishba
Bibi, who spoke toAsiaNews about the brutal attack against her by a
powerful Muslim family.

Alishba Bibi, a 30-year-old mother of four, lives in Rana Town colony,
in the District of Sheikhupura, in Punjab (Pakistan's most populous
province), was brutally assaulted, dragged into the street, her
clothes torn off, following a trivial dispute.

"Anti-Christian harassment is common place in the area," she said. "No
one dares to oppose Mushtaq Gondal; he has close ties to politicians
and criminals. However, I will not step back; I will fight until I get
justice."

The attack took place on 19 November. As she made her way home with
her daughter after picking her up from school, Alishba Bibi was
verbally attacked by a woman, Rani Bibi, from a prominent local Muslim
family.

As the dispute unfolded, the Muslim woman called her two sons, Muneeb
and Mubeen Gondal, for help. Armed with sticks, the two young men
unleashed their fury against the Christian woman. After tearing her
clothes off, and dragging her into the street, they took a mobile
phone and 10,000 rupees from her purse, leaving her unconscious on the
ground.

Two local women, Shamim Bibi and Rehana Shaukat, rescued the Christian
woman and brought her to the home of one of the two for she got some
first aid.

Determined to get justice, Alishba Bibi - with the help of Aslam
Parvaiz Sahotra, vice-president of the Human Liberation Commission
Pakistan (HLCP) - filed a complaint with police in Ferozwala. However,
the officer in charge of the station refused to take the charges
seriously. Downplaying the incident, he limited himself with taking a
statement.

The father of two men, Mushtaq Gondal, is an influential figure in the
area, feared even by the police who released the accused soon after
their arrest.

The two were set to appear in court for a pre-bail hearing last
Friday, but the additional session judge for Sheikhupura district,
Younis Aziz, adjourned the proceedings to today. It was not
immediately clear whether Muneeb and Mubeen Gondal would stand trial.

Meanwhile Alishba Bibi lives under protection, in the offices of the
HLCP, for fear of retaliation or revenge.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Aslam Parvaiz Sahotra points the finger at the
police, who instead of seeking justice have been conniving with the
accused.

"In order to defend the accused, the police produced a false report
alleging that Alishba stabbed Mubeen Gondal," he said.

"This is the fifth incident of its kind in the area, at the hands of
influential people oppressing poor and helpless Christians."

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