KARACHI, PAKISTAN, March 6, 2012 (thehindu.com): Sikhs and Christians of Karachi have come out in support of the Hindu community over the kidnapping and forced conversion to Islam of a 17-year-old girl from the Ghotki district of Sindh. On Sunday, members of various minority communities joined hands to stage a protest outside the Karachi Press Club demanding justice.
Rinkle Kumari is said to have been kidnapped from her home in Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district on the night of February 24. The girl’s family claims that she was forcibly converted, re-named ‘Faryal’ and married to Naveed Shah, a politician and members of the Muslim National Assembly. The other side claims Rinkle left home on her own to marry Naveed.
President Asif Ali Zardari had stepped in early in the case to call for a transparent and speedy investigation. Taking serious note of reports of the kidnapping, the President had called for a report from the provincial government on February 26.
[HPI note: Though we cannot yet know the details from this case, it is worth noticing the volatile religious situation in Pakistan, where the situation of Hindus has been steadily deteriorating.]