April 19, 2012 : Rinkle Kumari, and two other Hindu girls, Lata and Asha, have decided to return to their husbands, after Pakistan’s Supreme Court allowed them to make the decision, of whether to return to their husbands or to their parents, for themselves.
The cases became high profile due to the involvement of Pakistan People’s Party parliamentarian Mian Mithu in the alleged kidnapping of Kumari, and subsequent protests by Kumari’s neighborhood and family.
Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan will feel vindicated. And they will be glad that they have another weapon to use against the Hindu community, that suffers discrimination, and regular kidnappings by Muslim gangs.
Something seems to be out of place though. Less than a month ago, Kumari begged judges, ”
Kill me here, now, in court. But do not send me back [to my husband,” who she did not know prior to the marriage.
At another court hearing in early March parliamentarian Mithu reportedly repeatedly slapped Kumari in front of the judge, and threatened her. And, at a press conference, two men from an Islamic organization grabbed Kumari by the arms and marched her to a waiting car after she acknowledged that she had even met her husband before marrying him.
It has since been alleged that parliamentarian Mian Mithu threatened the girls with “dire consequences if they returned to their parents.” The Hindu reports, “The former federal Minister, Amar Lal, said though Rinkle Kumari and Lata were kept away from their families and husbands in a shelter home, Mian Mithu was able to access them over phone and had threatened to kill their families if they returned to their parents.”
The Hindu reports that civil rights activist Marvi Sirmed complained that although the girls were given the freedom to make their own decision, the judges did not take into account their circumstances or the pressure that they are under, or the fears that they might be experiencing. Violence against Hindus in Sindh, where Kumari was kidnapped, is common. The Hindu community in the region is now effectively living in a state of fear, with many Hindu families having already fled to India.
Source : https://www.peopleofshambhala.com/2012/04/alleged-kidnapped-hindu-girls-return-to.html
