Pakistan: Abduction and forced conversion of Hindu girls continue despite protests
Sindh: The abduction and forced conversion of young Hindu girls in Pakistan is a serious issue that has been plaguing the country for many years.
Despite numerous protests and calls for action, these incidents continue to take place, with reports of several cases being reported in March 2023 alone.
Father of Abducted Girl Speaks Out
Ishwar Bheel, a resident of Malhi village in Sindh's Tharparkar district, recently shared details of his daughter Guddi Bheel's abduction. According to him, Guddi was kidnapped by a man named Sikhander Bajeer while returning from the hospital where she had gone to collect fever medicine for her brother.
Bajeer allegedly pressured Guddi to convert to Islam and forced her to sign an affidavit claiming that she had converted willingly.
Police Refuse to Register Cases
In another incident, Veero Kolhia's daughter was allegedly abducted by influential people in his village who gave her some soft drinks laced with intoxicants.
Despite repeated pleas, the police refused to register a missing case. Krishna Bheel, a 13-year-old girl, was also reportedly abducted from Mirpurkhas while returning from school. Her father, Dasram Bheel, claimed that the police refused to register a missing complaint, stating that she had eloped with her boyfriend.
Multiple Cases Reported in March 2023
Apart from these cases, three other incidents of abduction and forced conversion of minor Hindu girls were reported in March 2023. Meena Butt, a 14-year-old girl, was kidnapped from near her home in Mavomehhwar and married off to her kidnapper after converting to Islam at Barchundi Sharif Dargah in Gotki. Sangita Kumari, a 16-year-old girl from Karachi, was also forced to convert to Islam and married off to her kidnapper at a Sufi Darbar in the city. Meanwhile, Krishna Bheel's case also came to light, as mentioned earlier.
Social Activists Protest Against Kidnapping and Forced Conversions
In response to these incidents, more than 100 social activists from different districts of Sindh and Punjab provinces staged a protest in Karachi in an event titled "Aurat".
The event was organized to draw attention to the kidnapping and forced conversion of young girls, particularly from minority communities such as Hindus. Several activists spoke out against the atrocities committed against women and the government's lack of action in such cases. They claimed that police authorities refuse to file FIRs in kidnapping cases, while medical and legal authorities collude to declare underage girls as adults eligible for marriage.
Karachi-based activist Birma Jeswani called for an immediate end to such incidents and stated that these have been rampant in Sindh for over a decade.
The issue of the abduction and forced conversion of young Hindu girls in Pakistan is a matter of grave concern. While several incidents were reported in March 2023, this is not a new problem, as it has been occurring in the country for many years. Despite protests and calls for action, the authorities have been largely ineffective in curbing these incidents, leaving the affected families helpless and desperate for justice. It is high time that the government takes immediate action to address this issue and ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
(With inputs from ANI)
