The Islamic Republic of Pakistan continues to be an infernal place for its religious minorities particularly Hindus whose innumerable sufferings have no end in sight. The country’s police, judiciary and executive act as instruments to strengthen the hands of the extremists and facilitate the exploitation of Hindus. In the latest incident, a Hindu girl named Reeta Meghwar managed to escape from the clutches of Islamists in Sindh’s Badin. Ashiq Ahmadani had abducted her two months earlier and even authorities failed to locate her during the time.
Reeta Kohli expressed her desire to go with her parents, but the court, despite her statement, decided to send her to safe house.
— The Rise News (@Therisenews_) October 17, 2023
She was in tears and protested in court, adamantly stating that she didn't want to go to safe house but rather wanted to live with her parents. 1/2 https://t.co/lRsMHT3RwJ pic.twitter.com/kXsbnISYMg
She complained that she was pressurised to embrace Islam and marry a Muslim. Death threats were issued against her family by the accused if she refused to comply with the demands as she endured unimaginable torment at the hands of her abductors. She nevertheless found a way to break free from their prison and make it to the police station. Unfortunately, the police stations and the courts in Pakistan generally serve as means for the radicals to carry out such horrible crimes rather than being institutions to preserve and uphold the rule of law.
She implored the judges to allow her to be with her parents again after she was brought to court. However, the court directed her to be placed in the custody of Dar-al Aman which operates as a refuge for females. These safe shelters are usually regarded as the last resort in cases of contentious custody disputes. The girl pleaded to leave with her family, but the judges turned down the request. To put it plainly, the judiciary’s role looked dubious. She sobbed and begged to be taken home to her mother and father several times and collapsed to the ground in the courthouse courtyard in agony.
A similar instance surfaced in June of this year when a 14-year-old girl named Sohana Sharma Kumari was abducted from her home in the Benazirabad district of Sindh province. She was married off to a Muslim man after being forced to convert to Islam. Her plight was exacerbated when a Pakistani court denied her request to go back to her parents again in spite of her pleadings.
Her tutor and his associates abducted her in front of her mother at gunpoint. Her father Dilip Kumar Sharma reported her horrifying event to the authorities. Later, the victim was manipulated to release a video in which she revealed that she had become a Muslim and wed a guy of the same faith. Her parents however countered that she was a minor. Five days after her abduction and in the wake of significant social media outcry, the authorities found the victim in a house in the district.
According to reports, she gave a statement declaring that she wished to return to her family and after much wrangling a Pakistani court eventually granted her request. It allowed her to reunite with her parents, but it did not take any concrete steps towards apprehending the perpetrators.
