By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – The bipartisan group of 11 US Congressmen on Thursday have written a letter to Pakistan Government urged the Shehbaz Sharif to protect the fundamental rights of a Christian woman, who was allegedly kidnapped and converted to Islam.
According to media reports Neha Faqir, an 18-year-old Pakistani Christian woman, was allegedly abducted in March this year and subsequently converted to Islam.
Congressman Chris Smith, the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, has asked the Pakistani government to protect the safety and fundamental rights of Faqir, media reported.
The court in Pakistan rejected a plea filed by the teenager’s family seeking her return.
Media reports cited the letter highlighted that Faqir disappeared on March 24, 2026 and was “subsequently reported to be residing at a madrassa and to have converted to Islam.”
She appeared before the Lahore High Court under circumstances that have raised serious questions about the cause of her disappearance and whether she was able to communicate her wishes independently.
“We are particularly concerned by reports that her family was not permitted to speak with her before or during those proceedings,” the letter states.
The letter added, “This case has attracted international attention not only because of the disturbing nature of the underlying allegations, but because it appears to reflect a longstanding pattern documented by Pakistan’s own civil society, the US Department of State, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, United Nations experts, and other independent observers concerning allegations of abduction, forced marriage, and coerced religious conversion of members of Pakistan’s religious minority communities”.
Smith noted that the circumstances surrounding Neha Faqir’s disappearance and subsequent conversion “raise profoundly troubling questions about her safety, freedom of religion, and ability to exercise her rights without coercion or intimidation”.
He and 10 other members of US Congress have sent a letter to Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar. They have expressed concerns over Faqir’s case and urging “the Government of Pakistan to take appropriate action to ensure a just resolution of this matter.”
