Forced wedlock controversy: Pakistan top Court provides Muslim convert girls an opportunity to ponder

Forced wedlock controversy: Pakistan top Court provides Muslim convert girls an opportunity to ponder

ISLAMABAD, March 26: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has granted a three-week time to two newly converted Muslim girls to ponder over their decisions, after reaching at conclusion that they are not able to indicate their intentions clearly in face of growing pressures from parents, in laws, courts and media.

The country’s top adjudicator Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry ruled out after conducting proceedings on Monday, on an issue which has flared a lot of controversy in the Muslim dominated country where Hindu minority community residing in interior part of Sindh blamed of being victimized by a religious and landlord segments of society.

The case is being put up by Pakistan Hindu Council which has claimed that three females belonging to Hindu community including Rinkle d/o Nandlal (Mirpur Mathello); Dr Lata d/o Dr Ramesh (Jacobabad), and Asha (Larkana) had been forcibly taken away and converted to Islam.

They community is feeling bit perturbed over the incidents and have launched violent protest inside the interior parts of Sindh.

They also blamed Mian Abdul Haq alias Mian Mithu, a member of ruling elite PPP in Pakistan National Assembly of patronizing such activities in Mirpur Marthilo, a home town of Faryal bibi (Rinkle Kumari).

The interior parts of Sindh are swayed under the grip of strong chain of landlords known in local dialect as ‘Wadera” system, in which the women are often subjugated to worst kind of treatment.

The two girls Faryal bibi (Rinkle Kumari) and Hafsa bibi (Dr Lata) will remain in a shelter house in Karachi under tight security and will have no access from any side.

The Court has recorded statements of girls after sending the whole attendance outside the room. But the atmosphere turned a bit terse when Dr Ramesh father of Hafsa bibi, in high sentimental voice keeps on chanting that her daughter wants to accompany them and under duress she converted to Islam.

While attorneys for their husbands maintain that both girls have embraced Islam and solemnized their knots in Islamic way.

Sentimental scenes during proceedings and outside the courtroom were witnessed when family members especially mothers of both girls were embracing near and dear ones and weeping bitterly.

During an interaction with media, they regretted of being treated unfairly in the area.