Embraced Islam willingly: Pak media on 3 Hindu sisters kidnapped by teachers
After being rescued, the four were presented before Judicial Magistrate Aijaz Ali Chadio and recorded their statements under Section 164 of the CrPC. The court ruled that minors should be returned to their parents, whereas adults, both medical students, should be sent to a safe house to "decide freely", as per reports in multiple Pakistani news outlets.Meanwhile, some Pakistani media outlets reported that the victims converted voluntarily, even as activists and Hindu community members alleged coercion and institutional apathy of the police and the judiciary.Two arrested suspects, Farhan Khaskheli and Zulfiqar Khaskheli, who were teachers of the Hindu siblings, were released on surety bonds after kidnapping charges were dropped."Shahdadpur: Four Hindu siblings embraced Islam in Sindh," the Karachi-based ARY News headlined their news report after the court granted the two accused bail.advertisementThe judge also instructed the parents not to discuss matters of religion with the girls, and directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanghar to provide security to the family, reported The Friday Times.The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) took suo-motu notice of the case, calling forced conversions "illegal" and demanding action from the authorities.Pakistani journalist Veengas J said, "If such incidents had occurred in other countries, Bilawal Bhutto or elite media journalists and activists would have delivered sermons on human rights and ethics. However, their grave silence in the case of Hindu girls and a boy in Shahdadpur, where minors were converted, is glaring".Meanwhile, Bangkok-based Pakistani human rights activist Faraz Pervaiz wrote on X that minors were falsely declared adults, their original IDs were ignored, no clerics were held accountable, even as he alleged that religious minorities were not safe in Pakistan.However, ARY reported that the four siblings themselves testified to having embraced Islam willingly, an assertion that, given Pakistan's track record on minority rights, could very well be the result of coercion or duress.Family members of the four Hindus, along with the Hindu community body, Panchayat, have alleged, both in court and publicly, that the individuals were forcibly abducted and converted to Islam.advertisementThe incident has drawn widespread anger across Sindh and members of the Hindu minority group are reportedly demanding protection under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.- Ends
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Jayaramachar, a Harikatha performer in the novel, also talks about Gandhi's spiritual values, his social reforms, and his commitment to communal harmony: 'Fight, says he, but harm no soul. Love all, says he, Hindu, Mohammedan, Christian or Pariah, for all are equal before God. Don't be attached to riches, says he, for riches create passions, and passions create attachment and attachment hides the face of Truth.' Though Kanthapura is imbued with Gandhian ideology, an alternative view of Nehru's socialism can also be felt towards the end of the novel. Among the stories exploring events of the freedom movement, Saadat Hasan Manto's 'Naya Qanoon', '1919 ki ek Baat' and 'Tamasha' stand out as iconic stories. 'Naya Qanoon' indirectly refers to the Government of India Act 1935. It presents an interesting character called Mangu, a coachman who hates Englishmen and is considered very wise and knowledgeable in his circle. 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Khwaja Ahmad Abbas's Inquilab (1955), promoted as the first great novel of the Indian revolution in its 1958 edition, portrays an important phase of India's fight against British colonialism. Also published in Urdu (1975), it depicts the landmark events such as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Bardoli Satyagraha in Gujarat, Dandi March and Civil- Disobedience movement, Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Round Table Conference. The novel also presents major leaders and freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ali Brothers, Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru and Bhagat Singh. Spanning the life of its main the protagonist Anwar from the age of eight to adulthood, the novel shows how his personality is shaped by the political events and the spirit of the freedom struggle. 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Do you think literature offers not just a kaleidoscopic portrait of India's freedom struggle, but also a critical insight into it? Support your answer with examples. (Mohammad Asim Siddiqui is a Professor in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
The Hindu
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