Karachi: Religious minorities in the Islamic state of Pakistan face a real and constant threat of extinction. Almost every day there are reports of Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls being abducted and forcefully converted to Islam as the Islamic country not just watches that happen as a mute spectator but also facilitates it. Yet another incident of abduction and forceful conversion of a minor Hindu girl has come to light in Pakistan.
A 13-year-old Hindu girl named Kavita Oad from Kandhkot area of Sindh was reportedly abducted and then forcibly converted to Islam. A video of the incident which has now gone viral on social media was shared by Pakistani journalist Naila Inayat on Twitter. In the video, the minor girl can be seen sitting on the ground with a mob surrounding her and recording the video of the conversion ceremony. According to Inayat, the conversion ceremony is facilitated by notorious cleric Mian Mithoo of the Bharchundi mosque. Mithoo is a hardline cleric and politician and is notorious for systematically carried out kidnappings and forced conversions of poor Hindu girls.
As per the information shared by Sukhdev Hemnani, Vice-President of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Twitter he is following up the case with local officials. He said that the documents have proved that the girl is just 13 and he is getting the help of lawyers to file a case in court. He added that he is also coordinating with Sindh women’s department for help and assistance in the case.
Sukhdev said that Kavita was forcefully taken to Ghotki from Kadhkot for conversion. He added that an FIR has been registered in the matter and a case will be filed by a lawyer. Sindh women’s department official Syeda Shehla Raza has informed that they are trying to recover the girl.
As it usually happens in such cases, the minor girls are married off to their abductors, making it legally difficult for their family members to get them back. The Hindu community in the Tangwani city of Pakistan held a protest against the conversion of minor girls from the community and demanded that Kavita be returned to her family.
Incidents of abductions followed by forceful conversions of Hindu girl are rampant in Sindh. Cries of the victims’ families fall on deaf ears and even the courts in Pakistan fail to do justice with the victims. Interestingly, such blatant and routine acts of religious persecution of Hindus in Pakistan go completely unnoticed by international human rights organisations.
