HYDERABAD:
A fresh controversy has emerged in Tando Allahyar district, where three Hindu girls were allegedly abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off, sparking protests from their families and the local Hindu community.
According to FIRs registered at Sultanabad police station on Sunday, the girls – identified as Khenchi Kolhi, Lata Devi Meghwadh, and Meena Meghwadh – were reportedly kidnapped from different areas within the station’s jurisdiction. Their families claimed that all three were coerced into converting to Islam on July 13 and that they are underage, making their marriages illegal under Pakistani law.
The girls’ families and members of the Kolhi and Meghwadh communities staged sit-in demonstrations demanding the immediate arrest of the alleged abductors. Police registered three separate cases:
- Tanveer Brohi and Qadir Brohi were named for kidnapping Khenchi Kolhi
- Saeed Ahmed Kharal, Ali Akbar Punjabi, and Mashallah Brohi for Lata Devi
- Ali Sher Brohi and Abdul Sattar Brohi (brothers) for Meena Meghwadh.
These FIRs (numbers 44/2025, 45/2025, and 46/2025) were filed under sections 365/B and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), pertaining to kidnapping for forced marriage and common intention.
The protests were called off after police assured the community of prompt action to recover the girls and arrest the accused. However, on Tuesday, all three young women appeared before the Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad Circuit Bench along with Tanveer, Saeed, and Ali Sher. In court, the women stated that they had willingly converted to Islam and married the men of their choice. They also informed the court that they had changed their names after conversion – Khenchi became Kalsoom, Lata became Bisma, and Meena became Samaima.
Following their statements, the court granted protective bail to the three couples.
Meanwhile, Sindh Human Rights Commission Chairman Iqbal Ahmed Detho wrote a letter to SSP Tando Allahyar, urging him to ensure an impartial investigation, particularly regarding the ages of the girls. He stressed that if any of them are underage, the marriages would be in violation of the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013.
The families, however, remain adamant that their daughters were forcibly taken away and remain under pressure. The Hindu community leaders have vowed to continue pursuing the matter legally until what they call “justice for these girls and protection for other vulnerable minority families” is ensured.
