‘Daughters of Hindus are not booty’: Pakistani Hindu senator raises alarm over forced conversions in Sindhu

A Hindu senator in Pakistan voiced his concerns against the forced religious conversions targeting minority girls in the country. “The daughters of Hindus are not a booty that someone should forcibly change their religion,” senator Palyani said.

Danesh Kumar Palyani, a Hindu Pakistani senator. (Picture credit: X)

Islamabad: In a session of Pakistan’s parliament, senator Danesh Kumar Palyani, a Hindu lawmaker, spoke out against the forced religious conversions targeting minority girls in the country. He criticised the government for its failure to take action against influential people involved.

Palyani emphasised that the constitution of Pakistan explicitly prohibits forced religious conversion, and he highlighted that such actions are also contrary to the teachings of the Quran. He expressed deep concern over the plight of Hindu girls in Sindh, citing the case of Priya Kumari, who was abducted two years ago and remains missing. Despite the passage of time, the government has not held accountable those responsible for such crimes.

“The daughters of Hindus are not a booty that someone should forcibly change their religion,” senator Palyani said. He lamented that a few people tarnish the reputation of Pakistan through their criminal activities.

The senator’s remarks came after a statement by UN experts who condemned the lack of protection for young women and girls from minority communities in Pakistan. These experts highlighted the vulnerability of Christian and Hindu girls to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking, early marriage, and sexual violence. “Christian and Hindu girls remain particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking, child, early and forced marriage, domestic servitude and sexual violence,” the experts said.

The UN experts said that forced marriages and religious conversions of girls from religious minorities are sometimes validated by courts, often citing religious law to justify keeping victims with their abductors rather than allowing them to return to their families. They emphasised that child, early, and forced marriage cannot be justified on religious or cultural grounds, emphasising that under international law, consent is irrelevant when the victim is a child under the age of 18.

The experts stressed the urgent need for provisions to invalidate, annul, or dissolve marriages contracted under duress, ensuring access to justice, remedy, protection, and assistance for victims. They highlighted specific cases of forced religious conversions, including that of Mishal Rasheed, a young girl abducted at gunpoint from her home while preparing for school in 2022.