A Christian girl in Pakistan was burnt alive after refusing to marry a Muslim man and convert to Islam.
Asma Masih, 25, died in hospital on Sunday after turning down repeated proposals from a local Muslim man, according to Pakistan Today.
Her father, Yaqoob Masih, said Asma had gone to answer the door while working as a domestic help in Sialkot, north-eastern Pakistan, when she was attacked. Yaqoob, who was visiting the house she was working at, claimed he saw 'Rizwan Gujjar fleeing from the scene while Asma was engulfed in flames'.
The local media reported that sub-inspector Muhammad Riaz of the Civil Lines police said Guijar had confessed to the attack and been arrested.
'We have prepared the charge-sheet and sent him to jail,' he said.
Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK, a Christian persecution charity working in Pakistan, said that Christian girls are looked upon as inferior and as a cheap commodity.
He told Christian Today that while some laws are in place, such as the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Act 2010 and the Protection of Women Against Violence Bill 2015, they are difficult to enforce.
Women remain in danger and Pakistan is considered the third most dangerous country in the world for women and children, he said.
'They are often harassed and intimidated at their workplace. They are often asked to convert to Islam and to marry Muslim colleagues,' he told Christian Today.
'If they refuse they have face dire consequences – sometimes they are kidnaped and forcibly converted to Islam, and sometimes they are attacked with acid. Such cases are becoming everyday matters and the police hardly make any advances, especially if the victim is Christian.'
