18-year-old Hindu girl shot dead after failed abduction attempt in Pakistan

Karachi, Mar 22: An 18-year-old Hindu girl was reportedly shot dead during a failed abduction attempt in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, according to a media report on Monday.

Pooja Oad was said to have been shot in the middle of the street after she put up resistance to the attackers in Rohi, Sukkur, The Friday Times newspaper reported.

Every year, several women belonging to minority communities, especially Hindus in Sindh, are abducted and forcibly converted by religious extremists, it said.

Pakistan's minority communities have long faced the issue of forced marriages and conversions, the report said.

According to the Peoples Commission for Minorities' Rights and the Centre for Social Justice, 156 incidents of forced conversions took place between 2013 and 2019, it said.

In 2019, the Sindh government attempted to outlaw forced conversions and marriages for the second time, but certain religious protestors contested the bill, the report said.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reports the overall population of the Hindu community in Pakistan at 1.60 per cent, and 6.51 per cent in Sindh respectively, it said.

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 Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by extremists.