KARACHI: The family of Priya Kumari, a Hindu girl who went missing in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province in 2021, and rights activists have called on provincial authorities to ensure her release and sought a clear deadline in this regard.
Seven-year-old Kumari went missing in Sindh’s Sukkur on August 19, 2021. While her family suspects no one, the southern Pakistani province has previously reported cases of forced conversions and marriage of Hindu girls, with those from poor families and low castes largely targeted.
The Minority Rights March, Aurat March, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Women Democratic Front, Priya Kumari Bazyabi Committee and other civil society organizations this week held a protest in Sindh’s provincial capital of Karachi to demand her release.
On Saturday, Luke Victor, a human rights defender, led a delegation, comprising Kumari’s parents, Raj Kumar and Reena Kumari, and other activists, to meet with Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar. They said the minister claimed Kumari was alive but offered no solid assurance for her release.
“While we welcome the details and progress shared by the JIT (joint investigation team) after three years [of Kumari’s abduction], we expect the JIT and the Sindh Home Minister to be able to provide more than just a vague promise of ‘soon’ and to commit to a specific date by which they expect to recover Priya safely,” the protest organizers said in a statement on Saturday.
“Open-ended discussions and vague commitments have occurred too many times without any results and have only eroded the trust once placed in the Sindh Police, which can only be restored with the safe recovery of Priya Kumari without further delay.”
During the meeting on Saturday, Kumari’s parents submitted a written application to the Sindh home minister for their daughter’s recovery and a transparent investigation into her abduction.
“There are hopes. The child is alive, and we have evidence,” the minister is heard saying in a video of the meeting.
“I cannot commit regarding the timeframe. She could be found tomorrow or within a week. We are trying to recover her soon,” he says, when asked for an assurance.
Luke, who led the delegation to the meeting, said on Sunday the “vague” statement suggested the authorities were either “lying or unwilling to act.”
“They are either lying about having traced Priya Kumari or they are unable to take action against the culprit, who could be influential,” he said.
Family, activists call for recovery of Hindu girl who went missing in Pakistan’s Sindh in 2021
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Family, activists call for recovery of Hindu girl who went missing in Pakistan’s Sindh in 2021
- Seven-year-old Priya Kumari went missing on August 19, 2021 in Sukkur city of Pakistan’s Sindh province
- In the past, the province has reported cases of forced conversions of Hindu girls and marriages with abductors
Pakistan says Qatar to elevate economic partnership to ‘higher strategic level’
- Qatari emir accepts invitation to visit Pakistan later this year, Sharif’s office says
- Doha talks also addressed rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Tuesday Qatar had agreed to elevate bilateral economic cooperation to a “higher strategic level” during talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The meeting with Qatar’s head of state marked the highest-level engagement of Sharif’s visit and comes as Islamabad seeks to attract Gulf investment to support economic stabilization under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program while coordinating with regional partners on rising security tensions.
Qatar is a key economic partner for Pakistan, hosting nearly 300,000 Pakistani workers and previously announcing plans to invest $3 billion in sectors including transport, aviation, energy, health, media and technology. The two countries also maintain defense cooperation and structured political and business dialogues.
“His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani reiterated Qatar’s commitment to a deepening economic partnership to a higher strategic level,” Sharif’s office said in the statement.
According to the statement, the two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening longstanding ties.
The Qatari emir also accepted Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan later this year, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Earlier during the visit, Sharif held talks with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, where discussions focused on expanding cooperation in trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor, and culture.
“They reaffirmed the strong brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional ties,” Sharif’s office said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor and culture, with both sides stressing the importance of their task force to accelerate cooperation in all these areas.”
Sharif also met Qatar’s State Minister for Trade Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed and a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA), where he highlighted Pakistan’s investment-friendly reforms and invited Qatari investors to explore opportunities in infrastructure, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology and export-oriented manufacturing, according to the prime minister’s office.
The business outreach reflects Islamabad’s broader push to convert political goodwill with Gulf partners into tangible investment inflows as it works to sustain macroeconomic stability and growth.
TENSIONS WITH AFGHANISTAN
The Doha talks also addressed rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan following cross-border military exchanges in recent days.
Pakistan last week carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan against what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targets, after blaming recent militant attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu on fighters operating from Afghan territory, which Kabul denies. Afghan Taliban authorities said the strikes killed civilians and described them as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
The issue also came up during a separate meeting between Sharif and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Both sides emphasized the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.”
Similar cross-border strikes last year triggered weeklong clashes before Qatar and Turkiye helped mediate a tenuous ceasefire between Islamabad and Kabul.
