Abduction, forced conversion and marriage of Hindu girls in Pakistan sparks major concern
Islamabad, Sep 19 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation on Saturday raised grave concern over the abduction, forced conversion and marriage of two minor Hindu sisters in Pakistan’s Sindh province, saying the case has exposed the persistent threats faced by Hindu girls across the country.
According to Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), the family alleged that Roopi and Seeta, aged 13 and 14, were abducted from Ibrahim Colony in Sindh’s Tando Allahyar district, forcibly converted to Islam and compelled to marry two Muslim men, Amjad Solangi and Mansoor Solangi.
Citing reports, the rights body said authorities presented the girls before a court in Tando Allahyar in connection with an abduction case. It said the court subsequently sent the sisters to a safe house instead of immediately returning them to their family.
The rights body said the sisters appeared visibly distressed outside the court, with people present hearing that they repeatedly pleaded to be allowed to return home. Additionally, a video circulating online showed the girls saying, “Let us go to our parents” and “We want to go home.”
“The state must interview Roopi and Seeta in a child-sensitive environment, away from alleged husbands, religious figures, intermediaries or anyone who could pressure them. Officials must allow the girls to speak freely and must provide them independent legal support and protection,” VOPM said, calling for an urgent, independent and transparent investigation into the matter.
“This case has caused deep anxiety among Hindu communities in Sindh. Sindh hosts Pakistan’s largest Hindu population, particularly in rural districts where many Hindu families face poverty, caste discrimination and weak access to legal help,” it added.
Several rights groups have documented a continuing pattern of alleged abduction, conversion and marriage involving minority girls across Pakistan.
The VOPM cited UK government data from the Centre for Social Justice, which recorded at least 421 cases of abduction, forced conversion and marriage involving minority girls and women between 2021 and 2024. Of these, 282 victims were Hindu, and 72 per cent of cases were reported from Sindh.
The rights body further highlighted that in 2024 alone, at least 83 cases were recorded by Pakistani authorities, with Hindu girls accounting for 63 per cent of victims.
The UN experts warned that in 2026, nearly 80 per cent of reported cases involving alleged forced conversion through marriage in Pakistan during 2025 occurred in Sindh, while about 75 per cent of victims were Hindus.
“Roopi and Seeta’s reported call to return home demands attention. Their protection, age, dignity, and freedom must come before every other consideration,” the VOPM noted
–IANS
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