Pakistan's independent human rights watchdog Monday raised concerns about incidents of forced conversions and marriages of Hindu and Christian girls, saying around 1,000 such cases were reported in the southern Sindh province alone last year.
In its annual report, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said the government has done little in the past to stop such forced marriages and asked the lawmakers to pass effective legislation to end the practice.
"Around one thousand cases of Hindu and Christian girls were estimated in the province of Sindh alone in 2018. The cities where such cases occurred frequently included Umerkot, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Karachi, Tando Allahyar, Kashmore and Ghotki," said the 335-page report titled 'State of Human Rights in 2018'.
Stating that no authentic data is available on forced conversions and forced marriages in Pakistan, the report said that the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013 has not been enforced effectively and the state's response to forced marriages has been mixed.
"If not accomplices, police are insensitive and indifferent at best in most cases," the report said.
It said that the "minorities continued to face harassment, arrest or even death for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs in Pakistan in 2018."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content