India has lodged an official protest over mistreatment and persecution of minorities in Pakistan. Sources have said that an official note was handed over to the Pakistan Foreign Office on Sunday, demanding suitable remedial action to protect and promote safety, security and welfare of Pakistani citizens, especially minorities.
The move comes on the back of a video that went viral showing the abduction and forced conversion of two Hindu girls aged 14 and 16 in Pakistan's Sindh province. The incident had also triggered a social media war of words between the two countries.
According to a pact signed between the then prime ministers of the two countries in April 1950 — Jawaharlal Nehru and Liaquat Ali Khan — both countries had pledged to guarantee rights of minorities and prevent forced conversions. In case of such violations, the governments of two countries were authorised to take remedial measures by highlighting issues. Over many decades since the Simla Agreement of July 1972, however, the countries never invoked the 1950 Nehru-Liaquat pact. The Simla Agreement pledged non-interference in each other's internal affairs, though government sources said this was violated by Islamabad several times since.
On Sunday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj sought a report from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad about the alleged abduction, forced conversion and underage marriage of the two sisters, Reena and Raveena. The girls were allegedly kidnapped by a group of "influential men" from their house in Ghotki district of Sindh.
A video that showed a cleric solemnising the nikah (marriage) of the girls went viral and triggered an outrage. The Hindu community in Pakistan has been carrying out massive demonstrations, calling for strict action to be taken against those responsible.
Following Swaraj's tweet, however, Pakistan information minister Chaudhary Fawwad Hussain called it the country's "internal issue". Replying to his tweet, Swaraj then said, "Mr Minister, I only asked for a report from Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad about the kidnapping and forced conversion of two minor Hindu girls to Islam. This was enough to make you jittery. This only shows your guilty conscience."
In one video, the girls are seen saying they accepted Islam of their own free will. But in another video, they said they were forcibly taken to solemnise their marriage. Their father and brother also said the girls were kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam.
Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir then shared a video where a cleric can be seen next to the girls and the two men they were married to. The cleric said they were inspired by Islam, and alleged that the family is spreading false propaganda and is threatening their lives. Nasir said the sisters were converted at the Dargah Barchundi Sharif, and were taken to Rahim Yar Khan following the marriage. Nasir also shared a copy of an FIR registered on March 20.
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