A Christian family in Lahore is pleading for help after their teenage daughter, Diya Aslam, mysteriously disappeared and was later found at Huqooq-un-Naas Welfare Foundation, where she reportedly converted to Islam. Diya, aged between 16 and 17, was last seen by her family on August 23, 2024, before vanishing under unclear circumstances.

According to Diya’s father, Aslam Masih, both he and his wife Sumaira were at work when Diya left the house to visit a nearby shop but never returned. Following a frantic search, the family filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Factory Area Police Station under Section 365-B, suspecting that their daughter had been kidnapped.

Days later, the family learned through their own sources that their Muslim neighbour, Bilal Hakeem, had allegedly abducted Diya and taken her to Huqooq-un-Naas Welfare Foundation, a centre that supports new converts to Islam. The foundation presented Diya’s statement under Section 164, in which she declared that she had willingly converted to Islam and no longer wished to live with her Christian parents.

Aslam, visibly emotional, shared that Diya had been engaged and the family was making arrangements for her wedding. “We had bought all her dowry and everything for her wedding. She was so excited,” he said through tears.

Despite multiple requests, the foundation has refused to disclose who brought Diya to their facility, and the family has not been allowed to meet her since she disappeared.

The situation worsened when the family received a court notice in which Diya requested protection from her parents, claiming they were harassing her because of her conversion. Aslam and Sumaira, who work low-wage jobs in DHA, are struggling to handle the legal costs as they fight for their daughter’s return.

Aslam alleges that Bilal Hakeem, the suspected abductor, continues to live freely in the neighbourhood, while the foundation has implemented “foolproof” measures to prevent Diya’s return to her family.

The distraught parents are now appealing to high-ranking authorities, including Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the Inspector General of Punjab, to intervene and help bring their daughter back home.

The family, who live in a rented house in Walton, Lahore, have five children and are struggling to make ends meet as they continue their legal battle to reunite with Diya.