15-Year-Old Hindu Girl Abducted, Another Forcibly Converted in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:
Minority rights groups on Thursday highlighted ongoing atrocities against Hindu minorities in Pakistan, particularly the abduction and abuse of teenage girls.

A leading minority rights group revealed that a 15-year-old Hindu girl and a student of Class 9, Shaneela Meghwar, was forcibly abducted at gunpoint from her home, located on Matli’s Sessions’ Court Road in Badin district of Pakistan’s Sindh province.

The Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) mentioned that the incident unfolded on June 23, and as of July 17, there has been no breakthrough in the case, and Shaneela is still missing, while her family’s cries for justice grow louder with each passing day.

“Shaneela, a bright student in class 9, had dreams as ordinary as any girl her age — dreams of a future shaped by education and hope. But those dreams were shattered that fateful night when two armed men stormed into her home. According to her uncle, Majnu Maharaj, the intruders pointed their guns at the family, violently pulled Shaneela out of her house, and threw her into a waiting white vehicle. The car, carrying two other men, disappeared into the night, leaving behind only shattered hearts and a community in shock,” read a statement issued by the VOPM.

The minority rights group highlighted that the Meghwar family turned to the Matli police, but the response they received has only deepened their despair. Despite the gravity of the crime, it stated that the police “seemed indifferent”.

Shaneela’s uncle Majnu recalls how the First Information Report (FIR) was only registered after community pressure, and yet it failed to name the main accused, Maqsood Dars.

“The family believes that the police are intentionally shielding the culprits, leaving them to wonder whether the justice system has failed them entirely. For Shaneela’s family, the fear of what may have happened to her is compounded by a grim reality that many minority girls in rural Sindh face — the possibility of being forcibly converted and married, a tragic fate that continues to plague marginalised communities,” the rights group emphasised.

“Social media platforms have been flooded with posts about Shaneela’’s abduction, calling for justice and highlighting the slow-moving investigation. Allegations have emerged, suggesting that powerful local figures may be shielding the abductors, further complicating the pursuit of justice, it added.

The VOPM asserted that in Pakistan, where minority communities often live on the margins of society, the abduction of a young girl like Shaneela is not just a personal tragedy; it is a stark reminder of the “systemic injustices faced by those who are already invisible in the eyes of the state”.

Meanwhile, Pakistani minority rights activist, Shiva Kachhi, Co-Chairman and Founder of Minority Rights Organisation, mentioned on Thursday that the Additional Sessions Judge of Pakistan’s Khipro Sanghar Court has handed over a 14-year-old Hindu minor girl, Kamla Kolhi, to the Muslim youth accused of abducting her.

“Kamla Kolhi, a 14-year-old Hindu minor girl, who was abducted from Khipro three months ago, forcibly converted to Islam and married off, was produced before the court today. Despite the lawyer presenting her B-form (birth registration document) as evidence of her age, the court prioritised the girl’s statement and handed her over to members of the Machhi community,” the minority rights activist posted on X.

“It is extremely disappointing that, despite the presence of the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act and a recent federal law which clearly states that marriage without a CNIC (National Identity Card) is a criminal offence, these laws are not being enforced in practice,” the post added.