Uproar in Pakistan over A Catholic Woman’s Sexually Harassment and Exploitation by a Muslim Head Teacher of a Government School

KASUR: A Catholic woman, Ishrat Saba, is sexually harassed and exploited by a Muslim Head Teacher, Zaheer Abbas, at village of Punjab Kacha Paka Chak No.43 Elementary School Serai Mughal, Pattoki, Kasur during school hours. 

The fact of the incident is that a Catholic Christian Government Teacher, Ishrat Saba mother of two children, is appointed as an elementary teacher at Village Kacha Paka Chak No.43 Boys Elementary School where she teaches Urdu. She is being sexually harassed and exploited by a Muslim Teacher, Zaheer Abbas, he started to approach her for sexual relationship by forcing her to watch sexual movies on his mobile phone and asked her sexual questions related to Christians in general. He was doing such acts from a long time and last he did last week of November and then she reported to the concerned Chief Executive Education Officer Kasur by a written complaint application. The Chief Executive Education Officer Kasur took notice on her complaint application and warned to Head Teacher and advised him to ask for apology from Catholic teacher and he admitted and asked for apology but very next day on 7 November 2018, his brother, Javed Nasir having pistol in hand and along with four unknown came and entered into school and started to shout at Christian teacher and used filthy language against her and also shouted at her calling her a ‘Churi’ a pejorative term used against Christian in Pakistan.

On dated 9 November, 2018 an FIR 364/18 under sections B/506,186 PPC, is registered at Police Station Serai Mughal against Javed Nasir and four unknown persons on the complaint of a male Muslim teacher instead making Ishrat Saba as a complainant. The culprits are still making threats to kill her due to threats she is not capable to attend her school. The police is also reluctant to any legal action against Muslim Head Teacher who has sexually harassed the Catholic teacher at school hours. The matter is still pending to provide justice for a vulnerable Catholic teacher.

Christian women are most at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation in Pakistan. They are sexually harassed and exploited by Muslims because of their vulnerability. There are moments in the lives of Pakistani Christian women that suddenly change their lives, they are forced to convert to Islam and forced to get marry with Muslims men. In the Month of April of this year, a Christian girl Asma Yaqoub, who was burnt alive because she refused to marry a Muslim and convert to Islam, and she was died. The story of Asma also recalls the story of Sonia Bibi, a 20 years old Christian from Multan, who was attacked with gasoline and burnt alive by a Muslim man three years ago.