The story of REENA MEGHWAR
Admin GHRTV
It was reported by the ‘hindupost’ that Reena Meghwar was kidnapped on 13 February by a middle-aged man named Muhammad Qasim from Kario Ghanwar town, Badin, Sindh province. She was forcefully converted to Islam and named Maryam and then married to Qasim. The family had lodged a ‘first information report’ (FIR) but police failed to recover the girl.
It was further reported that in April a video of the poor girl crying from the roof of her abductor’s house went viral, where she was heard screaming for help, and wanting to return to her parents, else she would commit suicide. Subsequently, police took the girl into custody for her ‘protection’.
On 28 April 2021, it was reported by the ‘tribune’ that “Police presented Meghwar before a civil judge and the Badin judicial magistrate to record her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The provision deals with kidnapping and abducting for marriage. The court then directed the police in the light of her statement to take her back to her husband.”
However, when the ‘tribune’ approached the lawyer, i.e. Advocate Kolhi, he stated that the girl was under mental stress and fainted in the court before her statement was recorded. Kolhi maintains that Meghwar was afraid of Qasim’s (i.e. husband) family, who are using pressure tactics to force her into giving a statement in their favour. He claimed that Meghwar was not willing to go back to her husband.
On July 26th, Veengas J., a journalist and founding editor of The Rise of Pakistan tweeted a video clip of Reena pleading for help in going home. Veengas has been reporting on minority issues, especially on Forced Conversion, human rights, and internal conflicts. This new video clip is very similar to the one that emerged several months ago. She says: “I was abducted & converted. Please let me go to my parents. Culprits & police threatened me to remain with rapists otherwise they will kill my family and relatives.”
SOURCES
- https://www.hindupost.in/world/reena-meghwar-abducted-raped-converted-now-family-threatened-in-sindh-pakist
- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2297163/court-orders-return-of-forcibly-converted-girl-to-husband
- https://townpost.in/2021/07/26/pakistani-hindu-reena-meghwar-who-was-abducted-from-vivah-mandap-pleads-to-go-home/
