Pakistan: New Hope for Christian Mum
Sep 12 2006
Postings >> Pakistan

A young Christian mum who has not seen her children since their father abducted them two years ago has been given fresh hope with the arrest of her ex-husband.

As 7x7 reported on August 1, Maria Samar John has been living in a centre run by RI partner Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) who have been trying to trace her children.

Miriam and Joshua were snatched by their Muslim father Abdul Ghaffar from inside a Lahore courthouse where Maria and Abdul were engaged in a custody row.

CLAAS now reports that members of its staff managed to track down Abdul Ghaffar and Maria had a phone conversation with him. When she tricked him into believing she was 'having an Islamic life', he agreed to meet her in a park on August 30.

He was promptly arrested. He is believed to have told police that he abducted the children because Maria wanted to raise them as Christians. 'This is a war of faith,' he said.

• Praise God that, while hopes of a reunion seemed so far off last month, there is now a real possibility Maria might see her children again. Pray that her dream will become a reality.
• Pray for Abdul Ghaffar that he will not try to bar Maria from seeing her children. Pray too that his heart would soften towards Christianity.