SANGHAR: In a rare show of tolerance, Hindu parents allowed their daughter to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim man, and also attended the nikah ceremony of the couple on Thursday.

Family members told Dawn on Friday the families of Dr Gordhan Khatri and Muhammad Yousuf Kaimkhani were neighbours in Hathungo town near Khipro, 70 kilometres from Sanghar, and were on friendly terms for decades.

When Dr Gordhan came to know about his daughter’s love for Mohammad Bilal Qaimkhani, his friend’s son, he did not resist but allowed his daughter to change her religion to marry him, said the members. He invited the boy’s family to his home in Mirpurkhas where he now lived and arranged his daughter’s nikah ceremony.

The girl converted to Islam at the hands of Maulvi Abdul Ghaffar who also solemnised the nikah in the presence of family members of both the bride and the groom.

The groom’s father Muhammad Yousuf told journalists on phone that he highly appreciated Dr Gordhan’s large-heartedness and confirmed the conversion and the nikah had been solemnised with the consent of both families.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2016