The cleric who allegedly solemnized the wedding of two Pakistani Hindu minor girls, who were abducted and forcefully converted to Islam, was arrested on Sunday, as the teenagers approached a court in Pakistan’s Punjab province seeking protection.
The two girls, Raveena (13) and Reena (15), were allegedly kidnapped by a group of “influential” men from their home in Ghotki district in Sindh on the eve of Holi. Soon after the kidnapping, a video went viral in which a cleric was shown soleminising the Nikah (marriage) of the two girls, triggering a nationwide outrage.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also ordered a probe into the issue.
According to Geo News’ Urdu, the teenagers approached a court in Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province seeking protection.
“The cleric who performed their marriage has been arrested from Khan Pur in Sindh,” it said.
Information Minister of Pakistan Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday had informed that the PM has also ordered the Sindh and Punjab governments to devise a joint action plan in light of the incident, and to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents from happening again.
In a tweet in Urdu Chaudhry had said:
آج صبح وزیر اعظم عمران خان نے وزیر اعلی! کو یہ ہدائیت جاری کی ہے کہ سندہ سے اغوا ہونیوالی دو نو عمر ہندو لڑکیوں کے بارے میں ایسی اطلاعات ہیں کہ انھیں رحیم یار خان منتقل کیا گیا ہے، اس معاملے کی فوری تحقیقات کی جائیں اور اگر ایسا ہے تو بچیوں کو بازیاب کرایا جائے،
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 24, 2019
“The minorities in Pakistan make up the white of our flag and all of our flag’s colours are precious to us. Protection of our flag is our duty,” the info minister added.
