Rights of minorities and forced conversions in Pakistan
Right now, a case with critical bearing on the rights of minorities in Pakistan is being heard at the High Court in Sindh. The case carries with it a particularly thorny question of religious conversion when it goes hand in hand with underage marriage.A Christian girl named Arzoo recently sought a court injunction to prevent the registration of a kidnapping case against a man with whom she had undergone a ‘nikah’ (wedding) ceremony, and his family. She had claimed in an affidavit that she was of 18 years and was ‘marrying’ him after converting to Islam of her own free will.However, incontrovertible documentary evidence has emerged that shows she is a 13-year-old child. The police said they arrested the purported ‘husband’, recovered the girl and were moving her to a shelter home for three ...