Pakistan under fire over abduction, forced conversion of 14-year-old Hindu girl
Islamabad: A leading minority rights organisation on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the abduction, forced conversion and marriage of a minor Hindu girl in Pakistan, highlighting the vulnerability of minority children amid escalating atrocities across the country.
According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), 14-year-old Bindiya Kumari, a ninth-grade student, should be attending school rather than being caught up in allegations of abduction, forced religious conversion and child marriage.
The rights body said that her case has exposed the gap between Pakistan’s assurances of minority protection and the ground reality, with her family seeking intervention even as lawmakers question the authorities’ failure to act.
It cited minority representatives who have alleged that Bindiya was abducted from Sibi in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and taken to Sindh, where her conversion and marriage were reportedly facilitated through arrangements linked to Mian Abdul Haq, popularly known as ‘Mian Mithu’.
“Authorities must establish the facts through a fair investigation. But fairness does not require silence, and an investigation should never become an excuse to leave a child without protection,” the VOPM stated.
The rights body said Bindiya’s case was raised in the Balochistan Assembly on October 19 and subsequently taken up by the Senate Minority Caucus on October 29. Lawmakers called for her immediate recovery, questioned the police response and stressed the need for coordination between Sindh and Balochistan.
“Yet the reported delays expose a serious failure of government. Why should legislators need to repeatedly demand basic police action? Why must a child’s safety become a parliamentary campaign before officials treat it as urgent?” the VOPM questioned.
Meanwhile, Senator Dinesh Kumar said that authorities had been provided with government-issued documents confirming that Bindiya was 14 years old. He also accused the police of failing to act against influential religious figures.
“These allegations demand clear answers. If influence has blocked police work, Pakistan faces more than administrative weakness. It faces a direct challenge to equal justice. A government cannot claim to protect minorities while leaving their families to struggle against people they believe the police fear,” the VOPM stated.
Pakistani rights activist Joseph Janssen has called for a special investigation team to recover missing minority girls, while other minority representatives have demanded stronger enforcement and accountability.
“Pakistan’s federal and provincial authorities must establish Bindiya’s safety, investigate the allegations, and hold anyone responsible for a crime accountable. They must also investigate any police failures. The test of Pakistan’s commitment to minority rights is not another speech or committee meeting. It is whether a vulnerable child receives protection when her family asks for help,” the VOPM mentioned.