Free will: Police told not to harass convert

Applicant told the court that her family had been pressuring her to re-convert to Christianity.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge on Monday directed the Ravi Road SHO not to harass a woman who had married of her own free will after embracing Islam.

Sonia Numan submitted that she had been a Christian who had embraced Islam. She told the court that her family had been pressuring her to re-convert to Christianity. She said she had been told that if she did not comply with their wishes, she would face “dire consequences”. She told the court that on June 6, she had marriage Numan Shehzad of her free will. She said that this had enraged her family and on several occasions they had threatened the couple with violence. She said that a few days ago, some of her family members and some police officials had raided their home and used derogatory language against them. She asked the court to direct the police not to harass her and her husband.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2013.