Pakistan, Hell for Hindu Girls: Islamists victimising, Judge and Police aiding
| Source: News Bharati Date: 7/4/2012 11:41:06 AM |
Karachi, July 4: After so much brouhaha about cases of forceful conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan, now a new case has unearthed about abduction, forced conversion and marriage of a minor Hindu girl. Rekha alias Pubi (14) from the Hindu religious minority community was abducted by gangsters and forcibly converted to Islam.
The irony of the judicial process is that the judicial magistrate has accepted her subsequent marriage as legal in spite of the Pakistan law, which does not allow the marriage of girls before the age of 16 years. It is alleged that the police and perpetrators forged Rekha’s age from 14 to 18. Notably the Judicial magistrate had never asked for evidence about her age.
The police took five days to file the First Information Report (FIR) providing good time to the perpetrators to manage a forced marriage. Family of Rekha received information from the police that, now girl has been shifted to the tribal areas of the Pakistan, close to Afghanistan border, potentially for nefarious designs.
Rekha alias Pubi (14) was working at a factory for the manufacturing of bottles for beverages at Gadap Karachi, Sindh province. She was abducted by a driver, Ahmed Nawaz and factory supervisor Asghar Din, in the official vehicle of the factory at 5.30 PM when she was going back to her home with her three sisters and mother. The brother, father and mother immediately rushed to the Gadap city police station, Karachi, to file the case of abduction of Rekha. Notably, police refused to entertain the complaint and told them not to worry as she will be returned and the police will take action the next day.
When family insisted Police to follow kidnappers, as they would not be far from the factory, the police asked for money for fuel for using police van, which was not possible from the poor family. Rekha’s family is from Hindu minority group, the Kohli-Dalit and they have migrated from a remote area of Sindh province, the Mirpur Khas,
On November 5, 2011, the family of the victim successfully filed the FIR, perpetrators quickly approached a judicial magistrate of Malir city. Factory owner Naweed Asghar took some workers from the nearby Madrassa and asked the court to accept the court marriage as Miss Rekha has embraced Islam and has changed her name from Rekha to Aasia.
Surprisingly, Judge never asked the girl if they did so of her own free will and approved the marriage. Her age was mentioned during the process as 18 because the magistrate told them that Pakistan law does not allow marriage of minors. At this moment, the mother and other family member reached the court after knowing that she has been produced before the court but the magistrate did not allow them to meet Rekha. The workers from the seminary have also used force to push the girl into the van, which was waiting outside the court. The lawyer from the perpetrators threatened before the magistrate that if they created problems over the change of religion then their two sisters will also face the same situation. The judge just ignored the threats.
Since November 5, 2011 Rekha’s whereabouts are unknown. On the other hand, the owner of the factory has terminated the employment of her brother, mother and three other sisters, saying that the vicitm’s family is destroying the honour of the factory.
It is also informed by the father of the girl that they have been told by seminary people that the girl has been shifted to a tribal area of Pakistan close to Afghanistan border. He apprehends that like other Hindu girls she would have been sold for nefarious designs.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has revealed this case and fighting for this cause. The AHRC has written letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief calling for his intervention into this matter.
AHRC has also appealed the people to send letters to the Pakistan’S CONCERNED AUTHORITIES AND calling them for safe recovery of Rekha and arrest of the perpetrators including the Naveed Asghar, judicial magistrate of the Malir city courts.
AHRC is also appealing for actions against those Muslim seminaries who are instrumental in the forcibly conversion to Islam of the girls from the religious minority groups and helping the criminals in the name of Islam
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