Sangla Hill, Punjab, Pakistan: A horrific attack on a young Christian woman in Pakistan has once again exposed the deep religious persecution and institutional failures faced by minorities. 

On 11th June 2025, in Chak 42, Sangla Hill, 20-year-old Sheeza Bibi, a Christian woman, was brutally gang-raped by three Muslim men — Muhammad Mohsin, Zahid Gujjar, and Muhammad Arslan — while her 3-year-old daughter Dua watched in terror. 

The assault was premeditated and deceitful. The rapists deliberately lured Sheeza’s husband, Intekhab Alam (32), away from the cattle farm where the Christian couple worked. One of the rapists, Muhammad Mohsin, instructed Intekhab to travel to Sheikhupura to collect a courier parcel — which never existed. Intekhab told BACA: 

“It took me around 2–3 hours to arrive home. When I arrived, I found my wife and daughter crying. My wife resisted telling me what happened but finally broke down and revealed that Mohsin, Zahid Gujjar, and Arslan had raped her.” 

In absolute shock and despair, the couple went to Saddar Police Station in Sangla Hill to report the crime. Instead of receiving protection and justice, they were humiliated and assaulted. 

According to Intekhab, police officer Muhammad Sikander verbally abused the couple and attempted to bribe them with Rs. 150,000 (£384), urging them to leave the area. When they refused, they faced physical abuse: 

“On Muhammad Sikander’s instigation, the station house officer beat me, and a lady constable slapped my wife.” 

Although a First Information Report (FIR No. 536/25) was eventually registered under Section 375-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (which carries a sentence of death or life imprisonment for gang rape), Intekhab Alam stated that the FIR did not match the written statement he submitted. He had clearly mentioned in his application that the perpetrators had tricked him into travelling to Sheikhupura to collect a fake parcel — a key detail that demonstrates premeditated deception — but this was omitted by police when registering the FIR. 

These omitted details, if included, could have further strengthened the FIR by establishing criminal intent and may have led to the addition of charges for deception or criminal conspiracy. While Section 375-A alone is sufficient to prosecute the gang rape, including the full narrative of events would have made the case legally more robust and reflective of the calculated nature of the attack. 

Despite police reluctance and initial abuse, the accused men have been arrested and placed on judicial remand. However, the family lives in constant fear, having relocated temporarily to a secret location, where Sheeza’s grandmother Parveen Bibi (64) has taken them to. 

Parveen expressed her deep concern: 

“I want justice for my granddaughter. Both Sheeza and Intekhab need to be relocated to a safer location where the culprits cannot reach them.” 

Sheeza’s husband, who earned a meagre Rs. 25,000 (£64) per month working on the cattle farm, is now unemployed and in hiding, trying to protect his traumatised wife and daughter. 

On 24th July, the British Asian Christian Association (BACA) team visited the family, providing legal representation, emergency funding, and moral support. 

Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee of the British Asian Christian Association, condemned the attack and police response: 

“This vicious and cowardly assault on a young Christian woman, carried out in front of her child, reflects the terrifying vulnerability of religious minorities in Pakistan. That Sheeza and her husband were then beaten and bribed by the very people meant to protect them is unconscionable. BACA is standing with this brave family — but real justice requires systemic change. Until Pakistan protects all its citizens equally, these crimes will continue.” 

How You Can Help 

We are working to relocate Sheeza and her family to a safe location, provide trauma counselling, and ensure full legal representation to bring the perpetrators to justice.