Karachi Pakistan: Arzoo's hearing was fixed for 9am, Monday September 13, 2021, Canadian Aid to Persecuted Christians (CAPC)

representatives were closely in touch with her father Raja Lal and mother Rita. The family was disguised and present in the 

court parking lot, in a car from 8.30 am on. They followed up a few times telephonically. According to Raja and Rita, they were

directed by their lawyer to stay in the car till Arzoo arrived and until they were asked to come to the courtroom. There was a lot 

of fear since the crowd of the accused side people (family, lawyers & mullahs) were present at the premises. This whole day 

waiting, stress, fear and uncertainty. The situation went on till around 4;30 p.m. The daughter was not presented in the court by

the shelter house. The lawyer surmised that perhaps the judiciary was testing the waters. Maybe if Arzoo had appeared in court 

and been handed over to the parents, there could have been a big riot or shooting. The court has not yet fixed any new date. 

Raja & family will try to visit Arzoo in the shelter house if given permission, to find out the reason behind not appearing in the court.

Raja, later informed that father and brother was allowed to visit Arzoo, only her two sisters and mother visited her at the shelter 

the day after this.  Arzoo told them that she was not informed that she was to be at court. The shelter apparently told the court

that she had a fever; Arzoo says she was perfectly healthy. This is the kind of game played by the Shelter House to try to 

keep these girls from being released back to their families. 

In the meantime, they are brainwashed and told that if they return home, their father, or their brother will kill them.  They are 

told that if they return to the Christian faith, they will go to hell.  They are also told that their families will be killed if they 

do not choose to stay with the “husband” in the forced marriage.

I had been in constant intouch with the family and do counselling through the mother (Rita) and sisters (Sonia & Mersih) to inform 

accepted in the family on her return