A Festival of Light Stolen by Violence
Tando Muhammad Khan, Sindh-Â What should have been a joyous celebration of Diwali turned into a nightmare for the family of Sitta, a young Hindu girl who was abducted, raped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to her attacker- all under the cover of darkness in Sindh.
As millions of Hindus around the world lit diyas to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, Sitta’s family was plunged into despair, their festive hopes shattered by a brutal crime that has become all too common for religious minorities in Pakistan.
A Diwali Nightmare: Abduction, Rape, and Forced Conversion
On the night of Diwali, a festival symbolizing hope, joy, and the victory of good over evil, Sitta (name changed for safety) was kidnapped from her home in Tando Muhammad Khan. According to local sources and family members, she was raped by her abductor, Muhammad Saleh, before being forced to convert to Islam and married to him against her will.
This horrific sequence of events is a chilling reminder of the systematic persecution faced by Hindu girls in Pakistan, where abduction, forced conversion, and marriage have become a weapon of oppression.
A festival meant to celebrate light became another dark chapter in Pakistan’s ongoing war against its minorities.
The Cycle of Impunity: How Forced Conversions Destroy Lives
Sitta’s case follows a disturbing and well-documented pattern in Pakistan:
- Abduction-Â Young Hindu and Christian girls are targeted, kidnapped, and held captive.
- Rape-Â Many victims are sexually assaulted as a means of breaking their resistance.
- Forced Conversion-Â Under duress and threats, they are made to recite the Kalima (Islamic declaration of faith) and sign false conversion certificates.
- Forced Marriage-Â The abductor marries the victim, often with the complicity of local clerics and authorities, to legitimize the crime.
- Legal Failure- Police and courts rarely intervene, allowing perpetrators to walk free while victims and their families are denied justice.
Where is the outrage? Where is the accountability?
A Climate of Fear for Pakistan’s Minorities
This is not an isolated incident. For years, Hindu, Christian, and other minority communities in Pakistan have lived in constant fear of such attacks. The abduction and forced conversion of young girls has become a tool of control, used to intimidate, silence, and subjugate religious minorities.
Diwali, a time of celebration and unity, has instead become a painful reminder of the injustice and vulnerability that define the lives of Pakistan’s non-Muslim citizens.
How many more girls like Sitta must suffer before the world takes notice?
A Call for Justice and Systemic Change
Sitta’s family, like countless others before them, is demanding justice. But in a country where perpetrators of such crimes are rarely punished, their pleas often fall on deaf ears.
Pakistan’s government must act now to: ✅ End the impunity for abductors and rapists. ✅ Reform laws to protect minority women from forced conversions and marriages. ✅ Hold complicit clerics and officials accountable for enabling these crimes. ✅ Ensure that victims like Sitta can return to their families without fear of retaliation.
The international community must pressure Pakistan to:
- Investigate and prosecute Muhammad Saleh and all those involved in Sitta’s abduction.
- Strengthen legal protections for religious minorities.
- End the culture of impunity that allows these crimes to continue.
A Stolen Childhood, A Stolen Future
Sitta’s Diwali was stolen—her freedom, her faith, and her future ripped away in a single night of violence. Her story is a tragic symbol of the fear and oppression that millions of minorities in Pakistan endure every day.
Enough is enough. The world cannot stay silent while Pakistan’s minorities live in terror. Justice for Sitta is justice for all.
#JusticeForSitta #EndForcedConversions #ProtectHinduGirls #DiwaliTragedy #MinorityRights #PakistanWakeUp 💔🪔
For more updates and detailed coverage of this case and other issues affecting the Hindu and Sindhi communities in Sindh, Pakistan, stay tuned to Sindh Renaissance.
