Two back-to-back cases of abduction, conversion for the forceful marriage of Hindu girls have been reported from Sindh of Pakistan. One victim is a minor aged 13 years, while the other is 19 year old. Both were abducted and married by men much older than them.
Imran Khan’s ‘Naya Pakistan’ has turned into a nightmare for Hindu girls as a large number of cases of abduction, forceful conversion and marriage have been reported especially in Sindh which is notorious for conversion, and these are the latest such incidents.
A 13-years old Hindu girl Roshni Meghwar of Mirpur Khas district of Sindh province of Pakistan was abducted, converted to Islam, and married a man more than double her age.
Pakistan’s minority leader Lal Chand Malhi who is a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan shared details of the victim. He alleged victim Roshni was kidnapped, converted, and married off. He criticized the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party for its failure to stop atrocities on minorities and their forceful conversion.
Reportedly yet another minor Hindu girl- Roshni- of Tharpakrkar,kidnapped converted & married off today. Man showing conversion certificate issued by a seminary giving an impression that this certificate is superior to any law of the land. PPP badly failing Minorities in Sindh pic.twitter.com/DIdoKLuzKH
— LAL MALHI (@LALMALHI) December 24, 2021
Netizens and rights activists condemned the atrocity and said that minorities continue to face prosecution in Pakistan. Roshni Meghwar has now been named Razia and married to her abductor Mohammad Moosa, a native of Tharparkar.
It is apparent that the girl was abducted months back and kept in illegal confinement. Another user Pakistan Untold said that girls of minority communities in Pakistan are abducted for sex slavery.
13-yr-old Hindu girl Roshni Meghwar abducted for sex-slavery from Mirpurkhas, Sindh-Pakistan. Forced to convert to Islam, married off to a Muslim double her age.
— Pakistan Untold (@pakistan_untold) October 31, 2021
Child marriage restraint Act doesn’t apply on abducted non-Muslim girls.
Courtesy: Raj Kumar & @pk_persecution pic.twitter.com/tvSmRpgFXj
Another user Veengas J, Journalist, and Founding Editor-in-Chief, The Rise News who has been reporting on minority issues, especially on Forced Conversion termed it a case of forced conversion adding “Sindh and Federal governments both don’t bother to legislate the bill on forced conversion.”
10-year-old Roshni Meghwar, converted to Islam and married to man.
— Veengas (@VeengasJ) December 25, 2021
Look at picture speaks itself — it is #ForcedConversion
Sindh and Federal governments both don’t bother to legislate the bill on forced conversion. pic.twitter.com/y7nSxNidmj
While Pakistani media blackout such incidents or dismiss these as a case of willful conversion and consent marriage, senior Sikh leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that a 19 years old Hindu girl met the same fate as Roshni.
Hindus of Pakistan shared about this 19yr Hindu Girl Hariyan Meghwar who was abducted, gang raped, forcibly converted to Islam & married to her abductor, Bhai Khan who is 31 yrs old & already married
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 21, 2021
Shameful to see Pak Media reporting it as a consent marriage@DrSJaishankar Ji pic.twitter.com/lGmDOniQWq
Sirsa claimed that 19-years old Hindu Girl Hariyan Meghwar from Sindh was abducted, gang-raped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to her abductor, Bhai Khan who is 31 years old and already married. She has been named Rabia Sheikh.
While for Hindus and other religious minorities, it is a curse to be born and stay in the Islamic country Pakistan, girls of minority communities are vulnerable to Islamic fundamentalists.
Earlier in March, 13-year-old Kavita Bai was kidnapped in Kashmore district in Sindh. Converted to Islam she was married off to her abductor. In fact during February and March as many as four cases of abduction, conversion and marriage of Hidnu girls.
One Pooja Meghwar, daughter of Chetan Meghwar from Hyderabad district was abducted and converted to Islam.
Reena Meghwar was kidnapped on 13 February by a middle-aged man named Muhammad Qasim from Kario Ghanwar town in Sindh province. She was forcefully converted to Islam and named Maryam and then married to Qasim. She was abducted by the same person whom she had tied rakhi. Aarti Meghwar is another unfortunate minor girl from Daharki who was abducted and converted to Islam.
