India on Sunday raised with Pakistan an incident of alleged abduction of two Hindu teenaged girls and their forcible conversion to Islam in Sindh province even as a war of words broke out between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary over the issue.
Offcial sources said India issued a note verbale -- a diplomatic communication -- to Pakistan, sharing its concerns over the incident and called for suitable remedial action to protect and promote safety, security and welfare of people from the minority communities.
In a tweet, Swaraj said she has sought a report from Indian envoy in Pakistan Ajay Bisaria on the incident. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has already ordered a probe into it.
According to Pakistani media reports, Reena and Raveena, hailing from village Hafiz Salman near the town of Daharki in Sindh, were kidnapped and forced to convert from Hinduism to Islam on March 20, before being married to Muslim men.
Separately, there were Pakistani media reports of abduction and forced conversion of another minor Hindu girl, Shania from Mirpurkhas in Sindh, sources said.
Both girls have been taken to Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab to avoid their arrest by Sindh Police, they said quoting latest reports.
Responding to Swaraj's tweet asking the Indian envoy to send a report on the incident, Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said: "Maam its Pakistan's internal issue and (be) rest assured it's not Modi's India where minorities are subjugated, it's Imran Khan's Naya Pak where white colour of our flag is equally dearer to us."