Pakistan: Businesses remain shut in Diplo town over "forced" conversion of Hindu woman

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 18 : All business and commercial activities in the Diplo town of Tharparkar region of Pakistan remained suspended on Sunday due to a strike observed by people, Dawn reported. The call for strike was given by the Naujawan Ittehad and supported by the local chapters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Awami Tehreek and some other parties over alleged forced conversion of a Hindu woman, who married a Muslim man recently.

Protest erupted over reports that the Hindu woman Summan Lohana, converted to Islam to marry her friend Sajjad Mehar. Lohana adopted Kainat as her Islamic name after her conversion and marriage. The orgsers took out a rally from the main chowk of the town to hold protest over the increase in incidents of forced conversion of Hindu girls in the province, as per the Dawn report.

The protesters led by Ramesh Asr, Arbab Imran, Arbab Samiullah, Imran Baghi, advocate Keemat Rai and others marched on various roads before converging at the main chowk in the town, as per the news report. The protesters chanted slogans for the protection of minority communities and steps to stop the forced conversion of Hindu women.

The protesters called for a ban on jirgas held in different regions of the province to address matters related to land disputes, murders, kidnappings and other sensitive issues, including handing over of underage girls to the men from aggrieved sides as punishment, as per the Dawn report.

The leaders alleged that Summan Lohana, a Hindu resident of Diplo, was lured into a love affair by Sajjad Mahar from Ghotki district. She was then forced to convert to Islam for marriage. They noted that some "controversial religious figures of Ghotki" were welcoming these conversions and marriages. They called for a check on the activities of such people.

The protesters criticised the "unlawful, unethical and inhuman" decrees often introduced by influential feudal lords to impose their decisions on rival sides, as per the Dawn report. They called for a ban on all sorts of jirgas and punishment for those influential figures who have imposed these decrees on people.

The protesters' leaders said that many Hindu girls in the past had been converted and several others committed suicide under mysterious circumstances. They demanded a fair probe into the suicide cases of Hindu women and measures to check the trend, especially in the Tharparkar district.