By: Amar Guriro
KARACHI: Despite the presence of 18 Hindu parliamentarians in Pakistani parliament including National Assembly of Pakistan, Senate and four provincial assemblies, cases of forced conversion are still being reported from Sindh.
The sufferings of Hindus in Sindh continue despite tall claims made by the government. Young teenage girls from minorities are still being kidnapped and brought in front of the court or media as new converts to Islam.
Recently, another Hindu girl went missing from Sanghar district just two days before her wedding. The parents of the teenage girl have alleged that one of their Muslim neighbours, whom she tied a Rakhi and made him her brother, has kidnapped her and forced her to convert to Islam, so that he can marry her.
Dileep Kumar Lohano, elderly brother of Pooja Bai, after getting disappointed from the local police, authorities and minorities parliamentarians, rushed to Karachi and approached Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Sindh chapter to help him get his sister back.
“My sister Pooja Bai is around 17 years old and on January 16, she left house with some clothes to give those to a tailor master in our area. She never came back,” Kumar told Daily Times in HRCP office Karachi on Tuesday.
He alleged that a young member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and close relative of DIG Mirpurkhas Ameen Yousafzai’s close relative Gohar Ali Yousafzai, who lives in their neighbourhood kidnapped his sister.
His mother, who was at home, informed Kumar of the incident. After receiving the information, he rushed back home and started contacting his relatives in the town, but did not find her.
The disappointed family contacted the police and lodged an FIR at Sanghar police station (FIR No-21/2014) under section 365B and 34 Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Pooja’s brother-in-law Kanhiya Lal said that right after the incident, Yousafzai contacted the family and informed that she is in Jamia Binoria Masjid.
He offered us that conduct a Skype conference with Pooja, so her relatives could confirm she had converted to Islam and was a Muslim now.
“Yousafzai arranged a fake certificate with the help of District Officer (Education) Yaar Muhammad Baladi and mentioned in the certificate that she was born in 1994 whereas she was actually born in 1997 and they increased her age to prove in the court that she is an adult and can take decisions,” he said.
He also alleged that Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) leader Mohammad Shoukat Rujaheni is supporting the opponents.
When Daily Times contacted Hindu parliamentarian, leader of PML-F and MPA Sindh Nand Kumar Goklani who is also from Sanghar to get his viewpoint he gave a completely ‘strange’ statement. “I was recently made a member of committee by minister of education to find ghost teachers, so I was calling DO Sanghar, but he didn’t bother to receive my call, therefore I have submitted a privilege motion in the last session of Sindh Assembly,” said Goklani. When asked what exactly he did to help the victim, he said that he was with them during the entire case.
