Sushma Swaraj initiates action in the forced conversion case of Pakistani Hindu girls

Two Hindu teenage girls in Pakistan were abducted and forcefully converted to Islam on the eve of Holi in Dharki town of Sindh’s Ghotki district. According to media reports, both the girls – Reena, 15 and Raveena, 13 – are underage and were forcibly converted to Islam after marriage. Shockingly, the local police agreed to lodge an FIR only after the minority Hindu community came out on streets to protest.

The atrocious incident took place at the time when Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan continued pushing his ‘Naya Pakistan’ narrative. In a recent tweet, he wrote, “Naya Pakistan is Quaid’s (Jinnah) Pakistan and we will ensure that our minorities are treated as equal citizens, unlike what is happening in India”. In the meantime, Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, initiated action into the matter and asked Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan to send a report regarding the incident.

The family of Hindu sisters registered an FIR with local police for “abducting to compel to marriage”. The family also stated that both the girls were underage and according to ‘Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act’ any under 18 years of age falls under definition of ‘child’ and can’t be married.

Moreover, a journalist, Ammara Ahmed, posted a video of the wedding ceremony of the abducted sisters. In her tweet, she wrote, “This video shows the illegal nikkah ceremony of two Hindu girls who are both 12 and 14. Everyone in attendance should be arrested along with the nikkahkhawa and groom. Make an example out of them so enforced conversions and marriages can end in Sindh”.

According to ‘Pakistan Hindu Sewa Welfare Trust’ president Sanjesh Dhanja, “Religious minorities in Pakistan suffered from widespread persecution”. He mentioned a similar incident which happened earlier in which two other girls from the Hindu community, Komal and Sonia, were kidnapped and converted to Islam by force. Dhanja further added that a 13-year-old Christian girl, Sadaf Khan, was abducted, converted and married to a Muslim man on February 6.

Not to forget that the father of abducted girls was severely beaten as well. In his sheer desperation, the old man said, “Either help me get my daughters back safely or kill me”.

Just a few days back Pakistan celebrated their National Day but minorities in Pakistan hardly have any rights at all. Minorities in Pakistan face all sorts of atrocities at the hands of the majority Pakistani community. Every year thousands of Hindus flee Pakistan to avoid persecution. Every year, thousands of Hindu girls are kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam, and later, they are forcibly married to Muslim men. In Pakistan, the Hindus and other minorities face discrimination in all walks of life, be it schooling, employment or sports. Hindu places of worship are targeted and destroyed. The Hindu population of Pakistan has declined sharply since 1947. In 1947, the Hindu population of Pakistan was around 20 % but now it is just 1.85%. The Hindu refugees are fighting for their survival whereas the Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants get political patronage in India.

While Imran Khan claimed of ‘Naya Pakistan’, the situation has not changed in the country which believes in following fundamentalist Islamist principles. The persecution of Pakistani Hindus and other minority groups is going on with increased frequency in the failed state of Pakistan. The Taliban coupled with the conservative beliefs of the Pakistani population will never let the minority population of Pakistan breathe in peace. It is time India shows concern and extends a helping hand towards the suffering Pakistani Hindu population.