Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered a probe into reports of abduction, forced conversion and underage marriages of two teenage Hindu girls in Sindh province and to take immediate steps for their recovery, Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said today.
The two teenaged girls were allegedly kidnapped by a group of men from their home in Ghotki district in Sindh on the eve of Holi. Soon after the kidnapping, a video went viral in which a cleric was shown soleminising the Nikah (marriage) of the two girls.
In a separate video, the girls can be seen saying that they accepted Islam of their own free will.
In a Twitter post in Urdu today, Information Minister Chaudhry said the prime minister has asked the Sindh chief minister to look into reports that the girls in question have been taken to Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab.
Father of Raveena and Reena seen pouring petrol on himself but people saved him.
— Veengas (@VeengasJ) March 25, 2019
Slogans in video: Chha khapay Chha khapay? [what do you want?] Insaaf Khapay Insaaf khapay [Want Justice]
—-
Sindh & Federal govts. say, they are looking into the matter.
👇🏽🤔 pic.twitter.com/R4tqc5BQ5b
Mr Chaudhry said the prime minister has also ordered the Sindh and Punjab governments to devise a joint action plan in light of the incident, and to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents from happening again.
"The minorities in Pakistan make up the white of our flag and all of our flag's colours are precious to us. Protection of our flag is our duty," he said.
On Saturday, Mr Chaudhry said the government had taken notice of reports of the forced conversion and underage marriages of the two girls.
Brave Pakistani Journalist @VeengasJ from Sindh asks: Why was Imran Khan's 'Naya Pakistan' Government sleeping when Hindu minor girls were abducted and forcibly converted to Islam and married off. How can we expect justice when politicians too are involved in forced conversion? pic.twitter.com/S3ASuX18Bo
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) March 25, 2019
The Hindu community in Pakistan has carried out massive demonstrations calling for strict action to be taken against those responsible, while reminding Prime Minister Khan of his promises to the minorities of the country.
According to FIR Raveena is 14-year-old & Reena is 12-year-old. So - Sindh Police should not give us excuse that girls left home of their own free will.
— Veengas (@VeengasJ) March 21, 2019
Sindh govt passed the law “Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act” - is it not the violation of law?#Forcedconversion pic.twitter.com/BA9RVKcTQP
Last year, Mr Khan during his election campaign had said his party's agenda was to uplift the various religious groups across Pakistan and said they would take effective measures to prevent forced marriages of Hindu girls.
Sanjesh Dhanja, President of Pakistan Hindu Sewa Welfare Trust, an NGO, earlier urged Prime Minister Khan to take note of the incident and prove to everyone that minorities were indeed safe and secure in Pakistan.
"The truth is minorities suffer from different sorts of persecution and the problem of young Hindu girls being kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to convert to Islam or get married to much older men is widespread in Sindh," he said.
Father of Raveena and Reena Hindu girls who held protest at police station.
— Veengas (@VeengasJ) March 23, 2019
“You can kill me, I had the patience, but now I won’t leave.”
I spoke to his son Shaman who said that “Madam - we are not citizen of Pakistan.” “The police kept changing statements.” pic.twitter.com/ODWfIalnyJ
Mr Dhanja said the Hindu community has staged several sit-ins in Ghotki district after which the police reluctantly registered an FIR against the accused.
The Hindu community leaders have claimed that the accused belonged to the Kohbar and Malik tribes in the area.
Following the incident, an FIR was filed by the girls' brother, alleging that their father had an altercation with the accused sometime ago and on the eve of Holi, they, armed with pistols, forcibly entered their home and took the sisters away.
Two hapless Hindu girls from Multan, Pakistan who were allegedly abducted, issuing an appeal to protect them from fundamentalists This reports comes after abduction and forcibly conversion of Reena and Raveena in Sindh, Pakistan . @ImranKhanPTI @fawadchaudhry @SushmaSwaraj pic.twitter.com/emKOxE0t2x
— Ravinder Singh Robin ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ راویندرسنگھ روبن (@rsrobin1) March 24, 2019
Raveena, Reena and another girl in Mirpurkhas and now two Hindu girls from Multan 👇🏽
— Veengas (@VeengasJ) March 24, 2019
Mr - Jinnah - only Culprits in the name of religion are free to do what they want to do
Enough Is Enough. Stop it.
Hindu girls matter including Non-Muslims and all girls matter https://t.co/M6WQMAlwMF