Two minor Hindu sisters from the Sindh province in Pakistan have appealed for help, raising deep concern. They cried and wept, demanding to be returned to their parents. However, the court ruled to send them not to their family, but to a safe house for two days.
The case was heard in the Tando Allahyar district court. After the hearings, both sisters appeared tearful. They were identified as Sita and Ruby, aged approximately 13 and 14, respectively. According to information, the family claims that the girls were first abducted, then subjected to forced religious conversion, and forcibly married to young Muslim men. Nevertheless, the girls' ages and their statements have not been confirmed by any official police or judicial documents.
Both sisters were presented before the Tando Allahyar court in an abduction case registered last week. After the court proceedings, the girls expressed a desire to return to their relatives. Journalists and social workers present there reported that they were continuously crying and talking about wanting to go home.
The court temporarily sent them to a safe house for two days. Some minority rights activists insist on carefully listening to the girls and providing them with independent legal and psychological assistance.
The situation is further worrying because one day after this incident, it was learned that another Hindu girl, Pansy Kohli, 14, was abducted from Tando Allahyar. According to a Pakistani journalist, six cases of abduction and forced religious conversion among minor Hindu girls have been recorded in the district over the past ten days.
Sindh is a region in Pakistan with the largest Hindu population. There have previously been numerous reports of abductions, religious conversions, and marriages with Muslim young men involving Hindu girls here. Daughters of poor and vulnerable families are particularly vulnerable.
If the age of both sisters is confirmed as 13 and 14, they will be considered minors according to Sindh law. The minimum age for marriage in Sindh is 18 years. Consequently, if the age is confirmed, the marriage contracted before the age of 18 will be a violation of the law. It is now crucial what decision the court will make regarding the girls' ages and their will.
This story also reflects the plight of thousands of minority members living in Pakistan who live in constant fear for the safety of their daughters. The series of abductions, forced marriages, and religious conversions among minors calls into question the judicial and administrative system of Pakistan. Attention is now focused on whether these girls will receive justice or remain part of the judicial process like thousands of others.