Minority Hindu lawmakers in Pakistan's parliament have alleged that men and women from their community were being kidnapped in southern Sindh province in order to force them out of the country.
The lawmakers in the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan's parliament, appeared agitated over a statement by Minister of State for Interior Wasim Shahzad that a Hindu girl in Jacobabad in Sindh, whose parents had alleged that she was abducted by four men, married one of the accused and embraced Islam.
Krishan Bheel, a National Assembly member, charged that many Hindu men are also being kidnapped for ransom in Sindh.
"These incidents are taking place to force the Hindus to leave Pakistan where they have been living for the past 5,000 years," he was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency.
Replying to questions from the members, Shahzad said the Hindu girl, who was abducted on September 14, married one of the kidnappers.
She gave a statement in the court that she married one of the accused and embraced Islam at Dargah Amrit Sharif, he said, adding that in light of her statement the court dismissed the case.
"Two of the four abductors were arrested," he said in response to a Calling Attention Notice.
Another minority lawmaker, Gayan Chand Singh, however said her kidnapping fell in the category of rape and a case should be registered against the abductors.
"It is a very sensitive issue which brings a bad name to the country."
Shahzad maintained that the case was registered on the same date when the girl was abducted. "Everything is clear now after her statement in the court."
Another minority member Ramesh Lal said the girl was only 17 years old and "according to Hindu laws a girl cannot marry till she is 20."
Gyan Chand said in view of the nature of the issue a house committee should be formed to sort out such matters.
Minority communities are around 3 per cent of the Pakistani population and included mostly Christians. The Hindus are believed to be around one per cent of the total population. Most of the Hindus lived in clusters in Sindh province and some in North West Frontier Province.