Published 21:57 IST, July 21st 2019
US Congress writes to Donald Trump over 'forced conversions of minority girls' in Pakistan & Human Rights abuses by Imran Khan's govt ahead of meet
A day before Pakistan PM Imran Khan's meeting with Donald Trump at the White Gouse, with the attempt to revive the relations between the two nations, members of the Congress have written to the US President over the forced illegal conversion of minority Hindu and Christian girls back in Pakistan.
- World News
- 0 min read
A day before Pakistan PM Imran Khan's meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, with the attempt to revive the relations between the two nations, members of the Congress have written to the US President over the forced illegal conversion of minority Hindu and Christian girls back in Pakistan.
While Imran Khan's US visit commenced with utter humiliation after no US delegation came to receive the Pakistan Prime Minister, in another such instance, now 10 members of the Congress have written to the US President urging him to raise the human rights abuses in Sindh Province during their meeting on July 22.
In an elaborate letter, US Congress said that the US has given Pakistan assistance of over $30 billion to improve social and economic conditions, along with good governance, however, none of this has occurred.
The letter addressed to the US President spoke about the forced conversions where "young Hindu and Christian girls are kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. Often, they are then married off to men decades their senior" by the Pakistani state and its supporters.
It further expressed shock that there are no laws banning forced conversions law to prevent children from being married off without 'parental permission'. It spoke of how the Pakistani government also "terrorizes Sindh Province through enforced disappearances."
Here's the letter:
Two days ago, a survivor of religious persecution from the Christian community in Pakistan aired his grievances to the US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office about the atrocities on minorities and menace of the blasphemy law in the Islamic country. He further asked the US President to raise the issue during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Ahead of his visit, even the World Baloch Organisation and the Baloch Republican (WBO-BRP) launched a mobile billboard campaign with 'Help end enforced disappearances in Pakistan' scripted over it in an attempt to urge the US President to take up the violation of human rights and the enforced disappearances in Pakistan's largest province, Balochistan.
Khan's visit to the US is marked by protests by several ethnic and religious minorities of Pakistan, including Baloch, Sindhis and Mohajirs. A bipartisan group of 10 influential American lawmakers on Saturday asked US President Donald Trump to raise the issue of human rights abuses in the Sindh province in his meeting with the visiting Pakistan Prime Minister. Protests have been planned in front of the White House and Capitol Hill Arena by these groups over the next few days.
Updated 14:42 IST, July 22nd 2019