'Forced conversion' case: Issue resolved after talks between Punjab govt, Sikh community

Published September 3, 2019
Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar (C) accompanied by father (2R) and lawyer (1R) of the man accused of forcing Jagjit Kaur to convert to Islam, and father (2L) and brother (1L) of the girl in Governor House, Lahore. — Screengrab from Twitter video
Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar (C) accompanied by father (2R) and lawyer (1R) of the man accused of forcing Jagjit Kaur to convert to Islam, and father (2L) and brother (1L) of the girl in Governor House, Lahore. — Screengrab from Twitter video

The issue of alleged forced conversion of a 19-year-old girl from Sikhism to Islam has been "amicably resolved to the satisfaction of the concerned families" after negotiations between a high-level government delegation and a 30-member committee of the Sikh community, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar announced on Tuesday.

In a tweet from his official account, Sarwar thanked the families of Jagjit Kaur — the girl who was allegedly forced to convert — and the man who had been accused of abducting and forcibly converting her, for coming to the Governor House in order to sort out the matter.

"Great news for Pakistani and Sikh communities across the world. Issue of Nankana girl was amicably resolved to the satisfaction of the concerned families. The girl is safe and in touch with her family. We shall continue to ensure the rights of minorities in Pakistan!" the governor tweeted.

In a video posted on Sarwar's Twitter account, the father of the man who allegedly forced Kaur to convert and marry him declared that they "will not approach any court for the girl's custody".

"If she wishes to go with them (her family), we have no objections. They are her guardians," he said.

A representative of the girl's family and the Sikh community also thanked the government, Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Punjab governor for intervening and resolving the matter.

Earlier in the day, Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh took to Twitter to claim that the girl has returned to her family in Nankana Sahib. However, the claim has yet to be verified.

The matter came to light last week, when a first information report (FIR) was registered in the Nankana police station against six people who were accused of abducting and forcefully converting 19-year-old Kaur. Police had traced the nominated persons to Lahore and had arrested one of them, while three others had obtained pre-arrest bail. The remaining two were at large.

After the FIR was lodged, the police were contacted by Sheikh Sultan, who said he was Kaur's advocate and told officials that she had embraced Islam and contracted marriage with Mohammad Hassan of her own free will.

Kaur's advocate also said that he had filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court on behalf of Kaur against her family and local police, accusing them of "illegal harassment". A statement by the girl was submitted in writing in the court, in which she also accused her family of "wanting to kill me".

Following Kaur's statements in court, the Sikh community had demanded that police bring her back to her parents' house irrespective of the conversion being forced or consensual.

The matter was brought to the government's attention by the district police officer of Nankana Sahib, who sent a memorandum to the inspector general of Punjab police in which he detailed the developments of the case and urged for "relevant quarters" to intervene.

"[The Sikh community] is agitating against the incident and videos of family of the girl [were] also viral on social media and international media," the memorandum read.

"It is requested that concerned quarters may kindly be taken on board so that Sikh community could be engaged and pacified timely as the community has announced to protest if their demand is not honoured."


Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that the girl was returned to her family. However, that development has not been confirmed. The error is regretted.


Opinion

Editorial

All this talk
30 Apr, 2024

All this talk

IT is still early days, but there have been several small developments over the past week that, it is hoped, may add...
Monetary policy
30 Apr, 2024

Monetary policy

ALIGNING its decision with the trend in developed economies, the State Bank has acted wisely by holding its key...
Meaningless appointment
30 Apr, 2024

Meaningless appointment

THE PML-N’s policy of ‘family first’ has once again triggered criticism. The party’s latest move in this...
Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...