ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, January 7, 2014 (The Hindu): The head of the Pakistan Hindu Council, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Member National Assembly has condemned the rise in kidnapping of Hindu girls, forced conversion and marriage. Talking to the media outside Parliament House on Tuesday he referred to the recent kidnapping of a Hindu woman, Lucky Bhel from Sindh, who was reportedly forced to marry a follower of a local religious leader.
Dr. Ramesh Kumar said that the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had promised minorities their rights and the Constitution of Pakistan also guaranteed their protection. He pledged support for the victims’ families and said he would raise the issue on every available forum including Parliament and take up the grievances of the Hindu community.
Earlier this year, the Sindh Government had set up a three member committee to examine a law to stop forced marriages of Hindu girls. Activists in Karachi have said there are 20 such cases every month.