Islamabad; September 29, 2012. (Shamim Masih): Sana (a Muslim girl) and Chand Masih (a Christian boy) were in love with each other, but they could not marry in Pakistan, then the couple decided at their own to marry. Sana, 23, and Chand Masih, 25, eloped from their houses in Gadowal village on September 21. The girl’s family searched for her for couple of days then a local cleric intervenes, and turns the heat on the entire Christian community. Local clerics, under the leadership of Maulana Amjad Farooqi, reached the girl’s residence and convinced her father to take a firm stand against the Christians. Following that, a large number of people gathered in the village, called out the Christians of the locality, and warned them to bring back the eloped couple or else their houses would be burnt down. Christians flee The Christians fled the village and locked their houses behind them. The area’s Muslim population also took the cattle of the family of Chand Masih into their custody. Teaching them a lesson Maulana Amjad Farooqi said he openly warned the Christians that they have already “hurt their [Muslims’] sentiments by releasing the blasphemous movie [The Innocence of Muslims] and now with this step, they have added fuel to the fire.” Farooqi said in case they do not bring back the girl, “it would take 10 minutes to teach a lesson to the Christians” of the locality. He said they had arrested one man, who was purportedly in contact with the accused, but the police released him. He added that the girl’s father is bound not to take any step without the clerics’ consent. Fear spreads The incident took place in Gadowal village, where only 15 Christian families are residing, but some families of adjoining villages have also fled after the threats, said Irfan Gill, a member of the Christian community. The court order says the girl married of her own choosing, and no one had kidnapped or compelled her to do so. Amanit Ali (local police officer) said the girl’s family was initially not keen on registering an FIR, but one was lodged nonetheless against three Christians. The girl administered intoxicants to her family through food at night and eloped with the boy, he added. I wrote once, when the Rinkle Kumari case was in the Supreme Court, (I used to attend the hearing during those days, due the PM Gilani’s case in SC) that Pakistani courts will always fever their religion and it happened at the end of the case of Rinkle Kumari. See the below statement of Hindu expert; In answer to a question about taking matters to the Supreme Court, Devi said that they have no expectations from the higher judiciary after the Rinkle Kumari case. “The court didn’t provide us the justice we were expecting.” Kumari was allowed by the Supreme Court to live with her husband even though her family alleged that she was forced to convert and marry a Muslim. The lawyer highlighted the need for a law to bar the immediate conversion of Hindu girls after marriage, suggesting that they should be kept in a shelter house for at least a month till the court decides if it was by choice or forced. “These love marriages are eating at our society like a termite. Either the government should introduce Akbari laws or allow Hindu or Muslims to marry without changing their faith as is done in India.” Law-enforcement agencies must protect the minorities from communal punishments.