IHC gives two Ghotki girls in Islamabad admin’s custody

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday gave the two sisters of Ghotki, who according to their family were allegedly forced to convert to Islam, in the custody of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration and issued directives to ensure their safety.

The two girls — Nadia (Reena) and Asia (Raveena) — had approached the IHC along with their “spouses” — Safdar Ali and Barkat Ali — to seek protection. Deputy commissioner Islamabad and representatives of Ministry of Human Rights and Sindh Police also appeared before the court.

The girls stated in their plea that they belong to a Hindu family of Ghotki and converted willfully as they were impressed by Islamic teachings. They said they deliberately avoided informing their family members about the matter due to threats to their lives.

The petition read that the girls left their home on March 20, and sought legal help after announcing their acceptance of Islam on March 22. They claimed that MNAs Ramesh Kumar Vankwani and Harilal had told a fabricated story about their forceful conversion.

The girls said they first travelled to Khanpur and later left for Islamabad due to fear of action by Sindh and Punjab police against them. They said the media was making false propaganda against their willful conversion to Islam.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked about the age of the two girls, to which the petitioners’ counsel apprised that one of the girls was 20 years old, while the other was 18.

Justice Minallah remarked: “It is a very sensitive issue and ensuring the rights of minority sects is also the responsibility of the government”. The court observed that the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) had also preached for the rights of minorities on several occasions.

A representative of the federal government informed the court that Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered an inquiry into the matter and that would have to be completed within a week. At this, the court handed over the girls in the custody of ICT Administration till the submission of the report to the court.

The court also ordered appointment of a female police officer of superintendant of police (SP) rank for girls’ security even if both were sent to shelter home and also named a sessions judge as guardian in the case.

However, the “spouses” of the girls — Barkat and Shafqat — submitted a request for protective bail through their lawyer Umair Baloch. They pleaded that both of them had been named in the first information report (FIR) and their arrests should be stopped. The court observed that the two sisters could not be shifted to Sindh province till the decision in the case and adjourned hearing till April 2.

It may be mentioned here that the girls had nominated Ministry of Interior, Sindh chief minister, inspectors general of Sindh, Punjab and Islamabad police, MNAs Ramesh Kumar and Harilal, and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) as respondents in the petition.