By Roshini Kumari
In a state that has failed to protect the rights of its minorities, the failure to pass the Anti-Forced Conversion bill at provincial and national levels reveals how deep the roots of those opposing the bill are.
The first Anti-Forced Conversion Bill 2016 presented in the Sindh Provincial Assembly was unanimously passed. However, the Council of Islamic Ideology and other Islamic groups strongly opposed the bill. The groups mobilized their workers and, with pressure, were able to block the bill and the Governor Sindh, Justice (Retd) Saeeduzaman Siddiqui—coerced and under pressure sent the bill back. The Bill asked to stop the forced marriages of minor Hindu girls in Sindh. However, it was deemed “un-Islamic,” and the religious parties threatened to “lay siege” to the Sindh Assembly if the bill was to pass.
In 2019 a revised version of the Bill was presented. It was called the Criminal Law Protection of Minorities Act of 2019. The 2019 Bill catered to the reservations of Governor Sindh. However, this time, the head antagonist Pir Mian Abdul Khaliq, more famously known as Mian Mithu, organized a sit-in against the bill. The concerns raised were that the bill would stop willful conversion to Islam and deemed it ‘un-Islamic’. The dreaded accusation of calling it un-Islamic froze even the most daunting legislatures to support the bill. The vulnerable minorities once again found themselves hapless in the face of much more robust and resourceful groups.
One MPA of PPP, Goklani, went on to say “I will suggest that they stop staging a drama, celebrating Diwali, Holi and other festivals of the Hindu Community. They should stop proclaiming themselves as the champions of minority rights. I have been fighting for the past few years to pass a law against the kidnapping and conversion of our girls, but today the Sindh Government has proved that it is unwilling to address the issue.”
The Anti-Forced Conversion Bill 2021 was pushed forward in the National Assembly in 2021. However, the bill was labeled as anti-Islamic and against the Constitution of Pakistan. Furthermore, it was marked as ‘western propaganda.’ Once again, to the dismay of the vulnerable Hindu minorities, the government did nothing to stand up to the Islamic groups, and the bill failed.
While opposing the bill, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad of Jamat-I-Islami aggravated the situation by adding that “there was no problem of forced conversions in Pakistan.” Ali Muhammad Khan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, said the government was committed to solving the issue; however, they were not doing it for “getting appreciation from an international organization or a non-governmental organization.”
Hindus were shocked to find out that Mian Mithu, the alleged mastermind of the whole affair, was at the helm in deciding the fate of the Bill. If that’s the case, then we can safely assume that the state of Pakistan holds no power over the fundamentalists who operate with impunity from the law.
Most of the forcefully converted girls are teenagers and belong to the lower strata of society. The dual nature of their predicament; young age and poor finances—makes them more vulnerable to be forcefully converted. Furthermore, if they convert, they can’t ever come back as the apostasy laws are applied.
A Hindu girl aged 25, a university student from rural Sindh, lacks that luster of life for her age; her movements are more restrained and careful. She suffers from anxiety disorder and feels unsafe even amongst friends. She told Ravadar that the rejection of the bills and the ensuing forced conversion took a tremendous psychological and emotional toll on her. She not only feels unsafe herself but also for her friends and colleagues. She said, “I wonder whether it is unfortunate to be born in Pakistan or to be a Hindu?” but her question remains unanswered. She says the current predicament makes her want to migrate from her birthplace and move out of Pakistan. She thinks that the three-time rejection of the Anti-forced conversion Bill clearly shows the dual face of the Government.
A 28-year-old Hindu social activist Dev Kumar from South Punjab, whose family member was a victim of forced conversion, said something about the whole issue. He said that what is happening to them is akin to systematic genocide. According to him, it is as if certain groups have a mission to minimize the minorities. The activist said that there is no doubt that underage Hindu girls are targeted, selected, brainwashed, or forcibly converted. He said that the documents are created systematically before conversion, and a few days later, a statement comes that the girl has accepted Islam. The question is how a girl who is unaware of her own religion can embrace Islam? He says that the girls’ brainwashing starts at the age of ten when they are vulnerable and accept whatever is said. Once a girl is abducted, she is sexually, physically, and emotionally exploited.
The activist was also part of the Government Committee formed to investigate the matter of forced conversion; he says that the committee called a lot of people but didn’t meet any of the victims’ families. Furthermore, they contacted the Islamic Ideology Council members, who called Mian Mithu to chair a session; it is equivalent to calling the butcher to chair a meeting on sheep’s rights.
A 25-year-old Sindhi student Raadha says that forced conversion is the most significant human rights abuse. Abducting a person against their will and converting them is the worst sort of violence. The government’s failure to pass the Anti-force conversion bill adds fuel to people’s lives who are practicing forced conversion. The biggest victim of forced conversion is Hindu Community. They are threatened and coerced. The wed girls are sold-out, and their families cannot meet them even during court hearings. I think internally; the government is supporting such elements. Even an Anti-forced Conversion bill will not make much impact. In most cases, the perpetrators are supported even if they are wrong.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the overall population of Hindus in Pakistan is 1.60%. The future of all of them seems uncertain and unpredictable. The International community’s failure to reign in the nefarious forces in Pakistan, the Government’s double policy, has created more fear in the Hindu Community, who further feel unsafe. Secondly, this also shows the dual face of the ministers sitting in the assemblies. Furthermore, at an executive level, it also indicates that the Child Protection Act applies to Muslims yet does not apply to the teenagers and adolescents belonging to the minorities.
The constitution of Pakistan theoretically ensures the rights of all citizens. Still, when it comes to minorities using constitutional loopholes, the culprits can do their bidding and go scot-free without any repercussions. The need of the hour is to enforce laws that ensure the protection of minorities from the radical forces; otherwise, the whole society will become a volatile pot of radicalism.
( Note: Names and places have been changed to protect the identity of the interviewees. )
