Hyderabad:
The conversion of three Hindu sisters and their male cousin, two of them minors, to Islam in the district of Sindh Sanghar caused a reaction from the local Hindu community on Wednesday. Acting on urgent appeals of the parents of Hunain Kumar, 13, Jiya, 16, Disha, 19, and Diodo, 22, as well as the Panchayat Hindu, the police recovered the four on Thursday and arrested the suspect allegedly responsible for the conversions.
The three sisters and their cousin had left home without informing their families on Wednesday morning. Later that day, they published video messages indicating that they had accepted Islam by their own will, without coercion. They also said they were afraid to be damaged by their families for their decision.
At a press conference, the brothers’ mothers, visibly distressed and crying, accused a local computer science teacher, Farhan Khaskheli, washing the brain and kidnapping children. “I want my son to return. He is only 13 years old and cannot understand religion,” said Hunain Kumar’s mother, breaking in tears. He directly appealed to the president of the Peoples Party of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to help recover his son.
The mother of the girls also held Khaskheli responsible for the alleged conversion and kidnapping. “I have three daughters, and Khaskheli has taken them all,” he said through tears.
Rajesh Kumar, head of the Hindu Panchayat, described the incident not only as a family tragedy, but a communal. “These girls are not just Hindu daughters, they are daughters of Sindh,” he said, while showing their photos and questioned if they were mature enough to decide to change their religion.
Kumar added that the Hindu community had always lived in harmony with its Muslim neighbors and actively participated in Islamic festivals and local customs. He thanked civil society and politicians for his support and announced that Panchayat had held an emergency meeting in Sanghar on Wednesday.
Sanghar SSP Ghulam Nabi Keerio visited the Panchayat during the meeting and assured the Swift Police Action community. The FIR was recorded on the base of the parents’s complaint.
