Karachi: Serious questions over the protection of minority children in Pakistan have emerged from Sindh after two Hindu sisters, aged just 13 and 14, were allegedly abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married against their will. The sisters reportedly broke down in tears after seeing their parents outside a court in Tando Allahyar, according to minority rights organisation Voice of Pakistan Minorities (VOPM).
The girls’ family alleges that the sisters were abducted from Ibrahim Colony in Tando Allahyar district before being forced to convert to Islam. They were subsequently allegedly married to two Muslim men, identified by the family as Amjad Solangi and Mansoor Solangi.
The case has now reached court, but the girls were not immediately returned to their parents. Instead, the court ordered that they be placed in a shelter home.
According to VOPM, the sisters appeared deeply distressed when they were brought before the Tando Allahyar court. The organisation said the girls pleaded to be allowed to return to their family. In a particularly distressing development, VOPM said the 13-year-old girl reportedly collapsed and fainted while crying and had to be taken to hospital.
VOPM has also referred to a video circulating on social media in which the two girls appear to appeal for their return to their parents. The video has not been independently verified.
The case has prompted the rights organisation to demand that the girls’ statements be recorded in a secure, child-sensitive environment, free from intimidation or outside influence. VOPM has further called for the sisters to be kept separately from their alleged husbands, religious figures, intermediaries and any other individuals who could exert pressure on them.
The organisation has also demanded independent legal representation and adequate protection for both children, stressing the need to establish their wishes and circumstances through a process in which they can speak freely and safely.
The allegations have renewed concerns over the vulnerability of minority girls in parts of Pakistan, particularly in rural Sindh. Sindh has one of Pakistan’s largest Hindu populations, while minority rights groups have repeatedly highlighted concerns involving alleged abductions, forced conversions and marriages of minority girls.
VOPM, citing Centre for Social Justice data, said at least 421 cases involving the alleged abduction, forced conversion and marriage of minority girls and women were recorded between 2021 and 2024. According to the organisation, 282 of the reported victims were Hindu and approximately 72 per cent of the cases were reported from Sindh.
VOPM further claimed that Pakistani authorities recorded at least 83 such cases in 2024, with Hindu girls accounting for 63 per cent of the reported victims.
The organisation also cited a 2026 assessment by United Nations experts, claiming that concerns had been raised over alleged forced-conversion marriages in Pakistan during 2025, including the reported concentration of cases in Sindh and the number of Hindu victims.
The allegations surrounding the two sisters are yet another test of the safeguards available to vulnerable minority children. At the centre of the case is a fundamental question: whether two minors who allegedly sought to return to their parents can give their statements freely, safely and without pressure.
The figures cited by rights organisations should, however, be treated with appropriate caution, as reported numbers can differ because organisations use different definitions, reporting methodologies and sources of official records. The allegations concerning the two sisters also require due legal process and independent verification.
