KARACHI: Minority legislators on Thursday decried a Hindu teenage girl's "abduction" and her forced "conversion," during the Sindh Assembly session but the TLP dismissed the age limit for converting of non-Muslims to Islam.
PPP's Lal Chand became furious while raising the issue of 14 years old Hindu girl, Sohna Sharma's kidnapping, at the start of the sitting.
Speaker, Aga Siraj Khan Durrani denied him a chance to speak out his views and turned off his microphone, telling the minority lawmaker that the house will discuss the matter later on.
"We suffer injustice even we are not let to speak on a point of order," he said and meantime informed the house about Sohna's abduction in Qazi Ahmed locality of the province.
He said that the 14 years old girls were "forcefully" abducted and her marriage certificate was produced latter. "We respect all religions," he said that "it is unfair to change one's religion forcefully".
He sought the assembly's support for the Hindu community, citing a law that prohibits underage conversion of a religion. He questioned as to how a 14-year girl can change a religion.
However, Mufti Qasim Fakhri of the TLP defended the underage conversion to Islam. "In Babul-Islam (Sindh), hurdles for preaching Islam cannot be created," he told the assembly.
Any age of people can accept Islam, he said and brushed aside the impression of forced conversion of non-Muslims to Islam in Sindh. "There is no age condition for non-Muslims for accepting Islam," he added.
MQM's Mangla Sharma called for "mercy" on the Hindu community, saying that the abducted girl is her relative.
Giyanchand Essrani, Sindh Minority Affairs Minister called the incident "sad", saying that underage change of a religion and marriages are illegal in the province.
The maximum age limit for a girl to marry is 16 in the country's law and 18 as per Sindh's legislation, Sindh Women Development Minister, Syeda Shehla Raza told the house.
She condemned the incident, saying that the girl will be sheltered in the Child Protection. She also assured the house of pursuing the case.
Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mukesh Kumar Chawla also assured the house that the government will enforce its law. "One's conversation to any religion is acceptable but none can be forced on a gunpoint to conversion," he said.
Latter, Mukesh laid "The Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 before the assembly.
The house also voted to adopt "The Al-Kawthar University Bill 2023" and "The Sindh Workers Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill 2023".
Besides, lawmakers approved "The Sindh Shaheed Recognition and Compensation (Amendment) Bill 2023" and "The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation Bill 2023".
The Speaker also announced the Sindh's Governor assent to "The Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2023."
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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