Post the alleged abduction and forceful conversion of two Hindu girls to Islam, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on the 26th of March, increased the pressure on the Pakistan Government to release the two girls.
Two girls, Raveena and Reena, were converted to Islam after being married to two men from the Ghotki region in the Sindh district. However, despite the arrests of the men, allegedly involved in the matter, the two girls asked for protection for themselves and their spouses at Islamabad’s High Court and said, they weren’t forced to convert to Islam.
On the 24th of March, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked for an investigation to be conducted and said, he wants a detailed report about the issue. The Pakistan Police detained 7 people in the case of illegal abduction and forceful conversion of the two Hindu girls to Islam.
This case came to light because of two videos which leaked online. In the video, the two girls, aged 13 and 15, were seen being married to older men by a cleric. In one of the videos, the father and brother of the girls claim the girls were abducted and forced into marriage despite their denial. However, the other video showed the girls claim they entered the marriage on their own will.
On the 24th of March, members of a civil society group took part in a protest in Karachi and asked the girls to be released. The cleric who married the girls and 6 other people were detained by the Pakistan Police.
According to the cleric, Raveena and Reena were influenced by Islam much earlier and converted on their own accord. Furthermore, the cleric alleged, these complaints were under false premises and were a part of a propaganda.
The arrest of the seven individuals happened post a major Twitter war between Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistan counterpart, Fawad Chaudhary. While Fawad argued the issue is an internal one, Swaraj said, the matter is a case of concern for her Country because the girls are from India.
“Even the Prime Minister of Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of such tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage… The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15-years-old,” Ms. Swaraj said in a statement regarding the issue.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah presided over the case in question and on Tuesday, the court
asked the girls to be kept under protection. The Judge further ordered, a woman superintendent should be kept with the girls so as to prevent their safety from being compromised.
The investigation by Imran Khan was launched after Sushma Swaraj sought details about the alleged abduction from the Indian envoy in Pakistan.
As of now, Raveena and Reena are in the custody of the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad and Director General Human Rights.
Stay tuned for more updates.
