London: A group of human rights activists and Indian diaspora representatives have been staging protests outside the Pakistan High Commission here as part of a ‘Justice for Mehek Kumari’ campaign, a minor Hindu girl who was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan.
The campaign has called for protests social media since Sunday and gathered outside the Pakistan mission in central London with placards reading ‘Stand up for Human Rights’. “We are here in support of Mehek Kumari,” said one protestor.
Kumari, 14, was reportedly abducted last month by a man in the Jacobabad district of Sindh province in Pakistan. She has claimed that she has been converted to Islam, leading to radical clerics issuing a death sentence against her.
Another protestor outside the Pakistan High Commission said: “As a young lady living here, I feel privileged being able to get an education and have the freedom to go around. Someone like Mehek Kumari can’t relate to that and I feel that every woman should be able to do all that. Shame on Pakistan for not giving her the same opportunities.”
Others in the group joined in with ‘Shame, Shame Pakistan’ slogans and called upon Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to take action against ‘this biggest form of child abuse’.
Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.
The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows.
PTI
