Pakistan - 7 arrested over alleged forced conversion, underage marriages in Sindh

By Dilip -
Police have detained at least seven people, including a Nikah Khwan (marriage officiator), suspected of involvement in the alleged abductions, forced conversions from Hindusim to Islam, and underage marriages of two minor sisters reported in Ghotki. On Saturday, the government took notice of the incident after two separate videos started doing rounds on social media. The father and brother of the girls in videos circulating on social media said that the two sisters were abducted and forced into changing their religion from Hinduism to Islam. However, a separate video of the girls went viral, in which they said that they accepted Islam of their own free will. In the video, a cleric can be seen next to the girls and two men who they were married to. The cleric said the girls were inspired by Islam and alleges that their family is spreading "false propaganda" and is threatening their lives.

The truth about forced conversions in Thar
Faiza Mirza: Memoir of a Hindu girl
Pervez Hoodbhoy: Pakistan’s terrified Christians 

On March 20, the girls' family lodged a First Information Report against their alleged forced conversion to Islam. Deputy Commissioner Saleemullah Odho and Superintendent Police Farrukh Lanjhar paid a visit to the girls' father on Sunday night and assured him of the government and police's full cooperation in the case. Police on Sunday said they had conducted several raids in Punjab's Rahim Yar Khan district ─ where it was believed the girls were taken from Ghotki ─ and arrested the Nikah Khwan who solemnised their marriages, a leader of the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, and some relatives of the two men who had married the two girls. The detained suspects were handed over to Sindh police. SP Lanjhar said that action was being taken on all available information to recover the girls. He was confident that the girls would be recovered soon.

Provincial minister Syed Owais Shah also visited Hari Lal, the father of the two girls. He said that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had contacted his counterpart in Punjab over the issue. He also expressed his hope that the two would be recovered soon. However, Shiv Lal, a Manghwal community leader, described the assurances as lip service. He said that if the girls had embraced Islam, they should be produced before a court of law. He said that their alleged forced conversion and marriages would be challenged in the court, as both the girls are under 18 years of age.

Last year, prior to being elected, Imran Khan had pledged to safeguard the rights of minorities if "he came into power" and had announced that his government would take effective measures to prevent forced marriages of Hindu girls with Muslims.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1471788/nikah-khwan-among-7-arrested-over-alleged-forced-conversion-underage-marriages-of-ghotki-sisters

see also
Samjhauta Express blast case verdict: ‘Who will answer for death of my five children?’
Apoorvanand - Islamophobia, theirs and ours
A message and an appeal 
HAMNA ZUBAIR - Qandeel Baloch is dead because we hate women who don't conform / When it comes to honour killing, India is neck and neck with Pakistan
Peace as a punctuation mark in eternal war 
Save this helpless child from religious fanatics!
Faiza Mirza: Memoir of a Hindu girl
Mehr Tarar: And We are Muslims?
Posts on Asia Bibi

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