Minority girls face abductions, forced conversions in Pakistan

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) The plight of religious minorities in Pakistan is once again under sharp focus, as fresh cases of abductions and forced conversions of Christian and Hindu girls highlight what rights groups call a "systematic crisis".

In June, 14-year-old Muskan Liaqat from Muridke in Punjab's Sheikhupura district, escaped after nearly two years in captivity.

Kidnapped at gunpoint in May 2023 by Muhammad Adnan and his father, she was forced to convert to Islam, declared Adnan's "wife", and subjected to repeated sexual assaults.

Muskan recounted that she was beaten with an iron rod, called derogatory slurs for Christians, and suffered a miscarriage after torture during a forced pregnancy.

Her ordeal is not isolated.

On June 19 this year, four Hindu siblings -- Jiya (22), Diya (20), Disha (16), and Ganesh Kumar (14) -- were abducted from Shahdadpur in Sindh.

Within two days, videos circulated online showing them reciting Islamic prayers with new names, a move celebrated by hardliners but devastating for their family.

According to the Movement for Solidarity and Peace, as many as 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls, aged between 12 to 25 years, are abducted annually in Pakistan, with police often refusing to act.

Many survivors face lifelong trauma and social stigma, while courts frequently accept kidnappers' claims that the girls converted and married willingly.

Rights organisations, including Jubilee Campaign and Open Doors, warn the number of such cases is rising, with victims as young as 10 reported in 2024 alone.

Meanwhile, proposed legislation to criminalise forced conversions has repeatedly failed under pressure from religious lobbies.

On August 11, observed officially as National Minorities Day, rallies in Karachi and Lahore demanded stronger protections, constitutional reforms, and criminalisation of forced conversions.

Analysts say Pakistan's growing radicalisation, coupled with state inaction, leaves minorities increasingly vulnerable.

Rights groups urge international actors, including the US, to tie aid to measurable improvements in minority protections.

--IANS

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