India on Sunday sent an official note to Pakistan Foreign office over the abduction of 2 Hindu girls in southern Sindh province. In the note Government of India shared its concern regarding the abduction of Hindu girls and called for suitable remedial action be taken by Pakistan government. Sources told WION, India called on Pak govt to "protect and promote safety, security and welfare of it's own citizens, especially from the minority communities."
The development comes in the backdrop of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj publically tweeting asking Indian high commissioner in Pakistan to send a report on the abduction of Hindu girls drawing an angry response from Pakistan's information minister Fawad Chaudhry.
To which EAM Sushma said, "I only asked for a report from Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad about the kidnapping and forced conversion of two minor Hindu girls to Islam."
Adding, "This was enough to make you jittery. This only shows your guilty conscience." According to the Pakistan Information Minister, Pakistan PM Imran Khan issued an instruction to Chief Ministers of Sindh & Punjab that girls should immediately be recovered.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hindu Council, Council headed by Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Hindu Member of National Assembly Ramesh Vankhwani has called for strict action against clerics Miyan Mithu Barchundi, Pir Ayub jaan Sirhindi who the minorities in the Sindh region have said are responsible for the abduction of Hindu girls.
Sarhandi shrine in Samaro in Umerkot and Barchundi Sharif in Sindh's Mirpurkhas District are active in religious conversions of Hindus and claimed to have converted thousands of Hindu girls and young women to Islam. New Delhi strong stance will irk Pakistan that has been raising the issue of minorities in India for months now. Remember Imran Khan on multiple occasions has tweeted about the situation of minorities in India.
On 25th December 2018, the birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the man who partitioned India, Khan tweeted, "Naya Pakistan is Quaid’s Pakistan and will ensure that our minorities are treated as equal citizens, unlike what is happening in India"
Sindh in southern Pakistan has a higher percentage of Hindus than rest of Pakistan. 3 districts of Mirpurkhas (33% Hindus), Tharparkar (36% Hindus) and Umerkot (49% Hindus) contribute to the significant Hindu community in Sindh and these are the districts were most forced conversion & marriages of underage Hindu girls in Pakistan have been reported the most.
In the past also India has strongly taken up the matter of situation of minorities in Pakistan. These cases include the abduction of 16-year-old Hindu girls Anusha Kumari in January 2019, forceful conversation of 16-year-old Hindu girl Ravita Meghwar on June 07, 2017 and in the same year kidnapping of 17 years of minor Sikh girl Priya Kaur who was married off to one Wajid Ali in Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
New Delhi has taken up cases of intimidation of Sikhs, Hindus, as also desecration of their places of worship, with the Pakistan government in February 2019, June 2018 and December 2017.
