If you are a Hindu citizen of Pakistan and the parent of a girl, one of your greatest fears is that your daughter could be forcibly converted to Islam and married off. The forced conversion of young women and girls from religious minorities, particularly Hindus in Pakistan, has increasingly become commonplace. Hindu girls, whether minors or adults, disappear from their homes, and after days their parents learn that their daughter has converted to Islam and married a Muslim man. A sanad (certificate) is often issued by a madrassah (Islamic seminary) or a so called pir (spiritual leader), declaring that the girl has converted to Islam and now bears a new Islamic name. The conversion of young Hindu girls continues unabated regardless of age. Even minor girls between the ages of nine and thirteen are reportedly converted and married to Muslim men old enough to be their grandfathers.

Due to these conversions, many Hindu families have migrated from Pakistan, mostly to neighboring India.

According to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, in 2025 alone, “about 75 percent of the women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage were Hindu and 25 percent Christian. Almost 80 percent of incidents occurred in Sindh province. Adolescent girls between 14 and 18 are particularly targeted, and some girls are even younger. Women and girls facing poverty and marginalisation face heightened risks, often being exposed to physical and sexual abuse and exploitation, social stigma and severe trauma.”

Pakistan’s Hindu population constitutes less than two percent of the country’s total population, and approximately 94 percent of them live in Sindh. Hindus in Sindh have paid a heavy price to remain in Pakistan. They are often treated with suspicion and accused of being Indian agents or spies.

Before 1951, Hindus reportedly made up 21 percent of Sindh’s population. The so-called upper-caste Hindu communities are largely involved in business, while many are also professionals such as doctors and engineers. The so-called lower-caste Hindus include farmers, growers, peasants, and laborers. A large number of them work as bonded........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)