A Pakistani Senator has exposed how forceful conversion of minority girls, especially Hindus, is in full swing despite multiple alarms being raised by international bodies. Speaking in the Assembly, Danesh Kumar Palyani, a Hindu MP and a human rights activist, openly criticised the government for forceful conversion of Hindu girls.
Emphasising the worrying situation in Pakistan's Sindh province, Kumar asserted that the "daughters of Hindus are not a booty that someone should forcibly change their religion".
He also stressed a two-year-old case of Priya Kumari who was allegedly abducted by "kachhe ke daku"- a phrase probably the Senator was using for those criminals whom the incumbent government has protected. According to Danesh Kumar, the six-year-old might be converted forcibly.
Govt does not take action against these influential people: Danesh
"It has been two years since innocent Priya Kumari was abducted. The government does not take action against these influential people. Senator Danesh Kumar's address in the Senate session. A few dirty eggs and robbers have defamed our beloved motherland Pakistan." he stressed.
"Even in the Quran, it says 'La ikraha fiddin', [there be no compulsion in religion], whereas in 'Surah Al-Kafirun', it says Your religion for you and mine for me. These oppressive people don't even believe in Pakistan's constitution or in Quran Sharif. They are forcibly changing the religion of Hindu women," he added.
During his speech, the Pakistani senator even quoted lord Krishna who defended the practice of one's own religion.
1,000 Pakistani Girls Forcibly Converted to Islam each year: UN report
It is worth mentioning this was not the first time when a Pakistani senator raised their voice against the atrocities on Hindu girls. In fact, on several occasions, the United Nations emphasised the media reports which claim more than 1000 Hindu girls forcibly converted to Islam.
As per a report by the Voice of America, girls generally are kidnapped by complicit acquaintances and relatives or men looking for brides. Sometimes they are taken by powerful landlords as payment for outstanding debts by their farmhand parents, and police often look the other way. Once converted, the girls are quickly married off, often to older men or to their abductors, according to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
Earlier last year, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement, urged the Pakistani government to "objectively" investigate these acts in line with domestic legislation and international human rights commitments to hold perpetrators accountable.
Also Read: Pakistan: Who is Saveera Parkash, first Hindu woman to contest for National Assembly elections
