Two Hindu minor girls, who were allegedly abducted and forcefully converted to Islam, have approached a court in Bahawalpur seeking protection.
According to the family of the teenage girls, the sisters were abducted from Daharki in Ghotki district of Sindh and forcefully converted to Islam before being subjected to underage marriages. The incident came to light after the girls’ father and brother revealed the details in videos that went viral on social media. In a separate video, however, the girls can be seen saying that they accepted Islam out of their own free will. The teenagers in question have approached a court in Bahawalpur seeking protection, in a baffling twist of events that appears to contradict the family’s claims that they were abducted and converted to Islam and wedded off under duress. Police have meanwhile arrested a man from Khanpur who is suspected to have assisted in the nikah (marital contract) of the girls. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry Sunday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has issued directives to Punjab chief minister for taking steps for recovery of two Hindu girls allegedly abducted from Sindh and shifted to Rahim Yar Khan. The minister tweeted that the prime minister has directed the governments of Sindh and Punjab to adopt a joint strategy to prevent such incidents in future. Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi has directed IG Police Sindh Kaleem Imam to probe and submit report on alleged abduction of the Hindu girls.
Meanwhile, a five-point resolution seeking to end the kidnapping of Hindu girls and forced conversions will be tabled in the next session of the National Assembly. According to a resolution draft being circulated on social media, prominent Hindu lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani has demanded that the unfortunate incidents of kidnappings and forced conversions must be condemned unanimously by all honorable members of parliament.
