Published 10:27 IST, June 14th 2020
1000+ non-Muslim girls converted annually: Pakistan's Human Rights panel exposes Imran
Every year a large number of minor girls are being abducted in Pakistan and are being forcibly converted, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Every year a large number of minor girls are being abducted in Pakistan and are being forcibly converted and married off, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's (HRCP's) own report.
According to the report which highlighted the blatant human rights violations in Pakistan, at least 1,000 non-Muslim girls have forcibly converted to Islam in the country, predominantly from Sindh, which is home to about eight million Hindus.
Even as Pakistan claims to have passed a legislation against child marriage in 2019, there are no holds barred when it comes to forcible conversions and marriage of underage girls which continue to take place in a region like Sindh which has the Child Marriages Restraint Act in place since 2013. Not to mention that Pakistan is also a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which talks about the importance of freedom of religion clearly stating that no one shall be subjected to coercion to change their religion.
Even the voices of minorities who are protesting against these large-scale persecutions and conversions are being actively muzzled by the Pakistan state.
In March 2019, nearly 2,000 Hindus staged a sit-in to protest after instances of the two girls who were forcibly converted to Islam to get married came to light. This massive protest failed to move the Islamabad High Court, which ruled that the girls had "willingly" converted and married the men.
While the Sindh government which faces the highest number of persecution and conversion cases attempted to outlaw forced conversions and marriages twice, religious parties objected to the idea of an "age limit" for conversions. After parties threatened to besiege the assembly, the bill was held back by the Governor who refused to sign it and bring it into force. Numerous Indian political leaders have been a the forefront of exposing Pakistan when such cases come to light.
Back in its 2019 Annual Report, US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) USCIRF had noted that Hindus, Christians and other minority religions in Pakistan "face continued threats to their security and are subjected to various forms of harassment and social exclusion."
(With ANI Inputs)
Updated 10:27 IST, June 14th 2020