Protest outside Pak High Commission in London over forced conversion of Hindu girl

Pakistani human rights activists and members of the Indian community continued their protest for the second day on Monday (local times) outside Pakistan High Commission in London seeking justice for Mehak Kumari, a minor Hindu girl who was forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man in Sindh.

"I am here in front of the High Commission to protect the rights of minority girls whether they are Christians Sikhs and Hindu who are being abducted. Mehak Kumari was converted to Islam. We want there should be a proper ban on Islamic conversion especially of the minorities," said a protestor.

Mehak was abducted by a middle-aged man, Ali Raza, from the Jacobabad district of Sindh province on January 15. The girl said she was forced to accept Islam, causing a widespread furore among the Islamic fanatics.

On Sunday too, the protest was organised outside the commission.

The protests were organised by the Indian diaspora in the UK in collaboration with Lalkar Social Forum. Among the demonstrators included International Friends of Sindh organiser Mir Saleem, who travelled from Germany to participate in the protest.

Some Pakistani clerics want the minor girl dead after she retracted from her previous statement in the court, where she said that she had accepted Islam of her own free will.

The clerics blamed 14-year old Mehak of murtad, or an act of Apostasy, and are demanding death punishment, accusing her of insulting Islam.

Meanwhile, the court which is yet to announce the verdict has sent Mehak Kumari to a local Dar-ul-Aman in Larkana district of Sindh for eleven days.

Incidents of abduction and forceful conversion of Hindu and Christian girls are widespread in Pakistan. Such incidents have sparked widespread criticism as many victim families are forced to migrate in foreign countries, including India.

While the cases of forceful conversions have always existed in Pakistan, a significant spike has been registered lately. The fundamentalists who hold great sway in the country have been pushing for such practices and have been encouraging youth into doing so.

While Prime Minister Imran Khan has presented several narratives about the condition of minorities in Pakistan, a perennially unsafe and scared minority in Pakistan is a harsh reality.