ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Tuesday ordered the government to take custody of two teenage sisters belonging to the minority Hindu community whose family says they were kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslims.
Police say the girls, both under 18 years of age, left their home in the southern town of Ghotki in Sindh province on March 20 to be married in Punjab province. Unlike Sindh, Punjab has no bar on marriages of those younger than 18.
The girls’ family has filed a police report saying the girls were abducted and forced into marriage with Muslims. In a video circulating on social media, their father Hari Ram said his daughters were abducted and forcibly converted. In a separate video, the girls are seen saying they had accepted Islam by choice.
On Monday, police arrested seven suspects in the case, including a cleric who performed the wedding last Friday. The girls subsequently petitioned the Islamabad High Court seeking protection for themselves and their husbands, the court said in its order on Tuesday. They have been sent to separate government shelters.
In the court petition, the girls said they were born into a Hindu family and converted because they were “impressed by Islamic teachings” but did not inform their family of their decision out of fear for their lives. They said reports that they were forcefully converted were “false and fabricated.”
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition in Courtroom 1, where both girls, their alleged spouses, representatives of the federal government, Islamabad administration and Sindh police, and the director general of the Human Rights department were all present.
“This is an extremely sensitive issue,” the judge said. “Pakistan’s international standing is tied to it. Ensuring the rights of minorities is our responsibility.”
A government representative told the judge that the inquiry would be completed within a week.
“Until the final report is submitted, they [the girls] will remain your guests,” Minallah told authorities present in the courtroom.
Pakistan court places two Hindu girls in protection after ‘forced conversion’
Pakistan court places two Hindu girls in protection after ‘forced conversion’
- Family claims the minors were abducted and married to Muslim men after forced conversion to Islam
- The girls said in a court petition on Monday they had converted because they were “impressed by Islamic teachings”
Pakistan launches double-decker buses in Karachi after 65 years to tackle transport woes
- Karachi citizens will be able to travel in double-decker buses from Jan. 1, says Sindh government
- City faces mounting transport challenges such as lack of buses, traffic congestion, poorly built roads
ISLAMABAD: The government in Sindh province on Wednesday launched double-decker buses in the provincial capital of Karachi after a gap of 65 years, vowing to improve public transport facilities in the metropolis.
Double-decker buses are designed to carry more passengers than single-deck vehicles without taking up extra road space. The development takes place amid increasing criticism against the Sindh government regarding Karachi’s mounting public transport challenges and poor infrastructural problems.
Pakistan’s largest city by population faces severe transportation challenges due to overcrowding in buses, traffic congestion and limited bus options. Commuters, as a result, rely on private vehicles or unregulated transport options that are often unsafe and expensive.
“Double-decker buses have once again been introduced for the people of Karachi after 65 years,” a statement issued by the Sindh information ministry said.
Sindh Transportation Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah inaugurated the bus service. The ministry said the facility will be available to the public starting Jan. 1.
The statement highlighted that new electric bus routes will also be launched across the entire province starting next week. It added that the aim of introducing air-conditioned buses, low-fare services, and fare subsidies is to make public transport more accessible to the people.
The ministry noted that approximately 1.5 million people travel daily in Karachi using the People’s Bus Service, while around 75,000 passengers use the Orange Line and Green Line BRT services.
“With the integration of these routes, efforts are being made to benefit up to 100,000 additional people,” the ministry said.
