Islamabad: At least seven people have been detained by police in connection with the alleged abduction, forced conversion and marriage of two minor Hindu sisters to older Muslim men in Ghotki town of Pakistan’s Sindh province. Police claimed that they also arrested the cleric who officiated the illegal marriage of Raveena, 13, and Reena, 15.
A day earlier, a video of the father of the girls, protesting and wailing outside a police station, surfaced and went viral on social media. Another video showing a cleric solemnising the girls’ nikah to Muslim men was also widely circulated on Twitter. The incident triggered massive outrage in India, following which Prime Minister Imran Khan directed authorities to probe the matter.
On March 20, the girls family lodged a first information report against their alleged forced conversion to Islam. According to police, they conducted several raids in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district - where it was believed the girls were taken from Ghotki. Shiv Lal, a Manghwal community leader, described the assurances from police and government officials as mere lip service. He said that if the girls had embraced Islam, they should be produced before a court of law. “Their forced conversion and marriages would be challenged in the court, as both the girls are under 18 years of age,” Lal said.
Court orders protection
A court in Islamabad ordered protection to the girls as investigators widen a probe to determine whether the girls were abducted and forced to convert and marry two Muslims. The Islamabad High Court issued the order, saying the girls had petitioned the tribunal seeking protection for themselves and their husbands the previous day.
The girls and the husbands were sent to separate government shelters. According to police, the girls' parents say their daughters are 13 and 15 years old. Underage marriage is illegal in Pakistan but the law is often ignored.
