CERRITOS, CA, US: Pakistan has seen quite a few forced conversions of young Hindu girls in the past few years. And the unfortunate part is that their numbers have not stopped, suggesting that the state is doing nothing to stop this from happening.
What is equally worrying is that after every such incident, there is hardly any follow-up in the media of what became of the girls who converted. We are not told of how the girls left their parents’ homes, or how their parents reacted to them being taken away. Or, we don’t get to read anything from the girls themselves, as in how do they feel about the whole experience and so on. What is her present condition and how well has she been accepted by her new Muslim family? What happens to the girl after her conversion is never known. Also, in most cases, she is not allowed to meet anyone from her Hindu family.
If the truth is hidden, such practices will continue and Pakistan’s image will remain tarnished. However, uncovering the answers to these questions could mobilise public opinion against forced conversions in Pakistan.
Raj Rajendran
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2012.
