VHP demands Pakistan immediately hand over Hindu minor girls to their families

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Thursday asked Pakistan to ensure immediate release of the three Hindu minor girls, who were kidnapped at gunpoint, forcefully converted to Islam before being married to Muslim men against their will in Sindh province last week.

“All three Hindu minor girls in Pakistan's Southern Sindh Province should be released immediately and handed over to their families,” said VHP secretary general Milind Parande.

Stating that the rights and freedom of Hindus are “persistently violated”, the VHP called for the attention of Pakistani government, its judiciary and the international community, including United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

A number of Pakistani human rights activists have stated that the kidnapping of three girls – aged between 13 to 16 years – is yet another case of forced conversion and abduction, which have become rampant in Sindh province of Pakistan. India has been raising the issue of the plight of minorities, particularly the Hindu community in Pakistan.

Quoting estimations of a number of rights groups, including Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) and the Movement for Solidarity and Peace, VHP secretary general Milind Parande said more than 1,000 Hindu girls and women are kidnapped in Pakistan and forced to convert to Islam every year.

“The courts and legal system in Pakistan are often complicit in sanctioning this practice by accepting false documents and statements obtained through force, threats or coercion,” Parande said.

Emphasising that Hindus are “constantly persecuted”, the VHP secretary general said, “When Pakistan came into existence in 1947, there were 16% Hindus. In 2011, the Hindu population of the country has been drastically reduced to a measly 1.6%.”

“So where has this 90% of the Hindu population gone?” he asked.

Parande said this decimation is the result of “sustained legal, social and administrative discrimination and atrocities” on Hindus in Pakistan.

Prashant Hartalkar, VHP secretary for international affairs, said, the Hindu body is committed to facilitating the protection of “life and dharma” of the Hindus who are facing discrimination and atrocities in whichever part of the world. “India is their natural shelter and they are always welcome,” Hartalkar said.

New Delhi has issued a note verbale to Pakistan on the issue, sharing its concerns and called for “suitable remedial action” to protect and promote the safety, security and welfare of minorities in Pakistan.

Hartalkar lauded the central government’s prompt response. He also praised the Modi government’s all out efforts to bring Citizenship Amendment Bill. The Bill seeks to provide Indian citizenship to migrants – who belong to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities – from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The VHP leader also lauded the government’s effort for facilitating the rehabilitation of Pakistani Hindus.