Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (HC) formed Tuesday a five-member commission to probe the alleged abduction, forced conversion and marriage of two teenage Hindu girls in Sindh province that led to massive protests by the minority community in the country.
A high court bench led by Chief Justice of IHC Athar Minallah heard the petition filed by the two sisters – Reena and Raveena — and their alleged spouses, Safdar Ali and Barkat Ali, to seek protection, the ‘Express Tribune’ reported here, Tuesday.
In their plea, the girls claimed that they belong to a Hindu family of Ghotki, Sindh but converted willfully as they were impressed by Islamic teaching. The counsel for the girls’ parents, however, asserted that the case pertained to forced conversion. Justice Minallah sought recommendations to resolve the matter.
The matter requires transparent inquiry – it is the government’s job to conduct probes not the judiciary’s, he observed. The chief justice said the court had to ensure that there was no forced conversion.
The bench then formed a five-member commission to probe the matter. The commission includes Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, Mufti Taqi Usmani, Dr Mehdi, Advocate IA Rahman and chairperson of National Commission on the Status of Women Khawar Mumtaz. The federal government has been tasked to organise meeting of the commission.
The incident came to light when a video surfaced online showing the teenagers’ father and brother claiming the girls were abducted and forcefully converted. It was followed by another video snippet in which the two girls claimed that they had converted to Islam.
Amid the uproar, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Sindh and Punjab governments to investigate the matter and recover the girls if the forceful conversion allegation was correct.
During the hearing, the chief justice noted the increasing number of forced conversion cases from Ghotki. He was irked at the government’s failure to find a solution. “Why are such incidents repeatedly being reported from one district of the Sindh province,” he asked. He said the perception that minorities’ rights were not protected has to be changed.
Until the inquiry is completed, the high court has ordered for the girls to remain in state custody. They are currently being housed at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Crisis Centre here.
PTI