The state of religious freedom in Pakistan remains questionable. Though minorities are guaranteed fundamental rights by the constitution of Pakistan, yet their fate remains contingent on many other factors. Contrary to the promise of freedom of religion and other basic human rights, minorities are often subjugated to various forms of torture and this incident is an example of it.
A Hindu minor girl was brutally gang raped for four consecutive days and allegedly forcibly converted, in Sindh
The incident allegedly took place in Kot Ghulam Muhammad which is located in the province of Sindh. The heart-wrenching video of the girl has been circulating on the internet where she’s explaining the incident to demand justice. She stated that she was kidnapped and later raped for four days by a Muslim man and his friends. According to her, the name of the criminal is Muhammad Tanveer. The police have NOT held the culprits accountable and instead of filing a case against them, they have allowed them to roam freely.
This is not the end to the misery of the poor victim and her family. The culprits are now allegedly adamant to take Leylan away from her parents on ‘religious’ grounds.
Her rapists have allegedly stated that she recited kalma during rape so she’s Muslim now and so cannot live with her family and must be handed over to them.
Pakistanis are naturally outraged by the incident of this innocent Hindu girl allegedly being gang raped and forcibly converted
People have commented how it’s a never-ending cycle of the persecution for minorities in Pakistan and how Pakistan is an unsafe place for its minorities.
They highlighted the need for immediate and concrete steps on safeguarding minority rights
A lot of them pointed out that this trend continues in the interior Sindh because the Sindh government has failed to hold the culprits accountable
Many Pakistanis were shocked that after this innocent Hindu girl was allegedly gang raped and forcibly converted, the silence of authorities regarding such incidents was deafening
Some called it the Hindu apartheid, and shockingly questioned why the criminals are not under arrest.
It seems that the plight of minorities and women in this country is a dark, long ordeal. Sadly, the acts of violence against minorities and in particular the women belonging to non-Muslim communities have now become a daily occurrence. The laws and constitution have provided them with sufficient rights however the implementation of all such written rules remains a question.
Another fact which needs to be highlighted is the pattern of violence against minorities in interior Sindh. With every incident like this, political leaders step up and claim responsibility for these people but the maltreatment of these people at the hands of ‘saviors’ of Islam continues. There’s a dire need to hold the culprits accountable and to promote the principles of tolerance and co-existence to maintain peace in the society.
