Lahore, Sept 2:
A Pakistani court has handed a 21-year-old Hindu woman back to her parents after she was allegedly abducted, pressured to convert to Islam and forced into marriage with a Muslim man in a case that has raised concerns over the safety of minority women.
Shirimati Reeta, a resident of Rana Rajput Colony in Khipro tehsil of Sindh’s Sanghar district, went missing from her hometown last week, according to a complaint filed by her brother Ravi Shankar. The family alleged that CCTV footage from their residence showed unidentified persons taking Reeta away along with valuables and mobile phones on August 24.
According to the complaint, Reeta was allegedly taken to Gujranwala in Punjab, around 80 km from Lahore, where she was pressured to convert to Islam and marry Nazeer Hussain. The complaint further alleged that Hussain was already married.
Punjab police subsequently recovered Reeta and produced her before a judicial magistrate on Monday. During the proceedings, the investigating officer sought an order to place her in Darul Aman, a state-run shelter for women, claiming that she was unwilling to return to her parents.
The court, however, ordered that Reeta be handed back to her family. The case has drawn attention to allegations involving the abduction and forced conversion of women belonging to religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly in parts of Sindh and Punjab.
Reeta’s brother had approached the authorities after she went missing, alleging that she had been taken from the family home. The family relied on CCTV footage as part of its complaint, saying the recordings showed unidentified people removing her from the residence along with personal belongings.
The police later traced and recovered her in Punjab before producing her before the magistrate. The proceedings focused on her immediate safety and where she should be housed while the allegations were investigated.
The allegations of forced conversion and marriage remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings. Authorities will have to establish the circumstances in which Reeta left her home, how she was transported to Punjab and whether she was subjected to coercion.
The case comes amid continuing concerns over the rights and security of religious minorities in Pakistan. Rights groups have repeatedly raised allegations of forced conversions and marriages involving minority women, while Pakistani authorities have also faced demands to strengthen safeguards for vulnerable communities.
The latest court order has enabled Reeta to return to her parents as the investigation continues.These five reports are kept separate and detailed, with a conventional newspaper structure and without mixing facts from one story into another.