Hindu girl abducted in Pakistan; father claims forced conversion and targeting

Case ID : a0495aa | Location : Umarkot, Sindh, Pakistan | Date of Incident : Mon, 10 November, 2025

Case ID : a0495aa

Umarkot, Sindh, Pakistan

10 November, 2025

Hindu girl abducted in Pakistan; father claims forced conversion and targeting

Undecided cases

Abduction of minor

Case Summary

In Umarkot, Sindh, a Hindu student named Sanam, daughter of Tilu Meghwar, went missing after attending Umarkot Girls College. The victim's father filed an FIR at the Women Police Station Umarkot on 11 November 2025, stating that she was abducted shortly after she left the college campus. The victim's family and local activists stated that individuals linked to an organisation known as Shafi Orphanage and Welfare, headed by a Muslim woman named Amina Shafi, were involved in the abduction of the victim. They also stated that this organisation had been involved in repeated targeting of girls from minority communities, including the Hindu minority, and forcing religious conversion. The organisation had operated through networks across various cities, allowing them access to vulnerable students through educational institutions. Furthermore, shortly after the victim's disappearance, a WhatsApp message was sent to her brother stating that “your girl is in safe hands,” which raised strong suspicion of local collaborators who seemed to possess prior knowledge of the incident. The victim's family refrained from speaking openly to the media or organising protests due to persistent threats and intimidation, reflecting a pattern of fear and silence that minority families in Sindh often faced when dealing with similar cases. Pakistan Dravid Ittehad condemned the kidnapping and demanded immediate action, urging the state to recover all Hindu girls who had been missing or forced into conversion over the past decade and to provide them full protection. This case highlights the persecution faced by the Hindu minorities in Pakistan, marked by systemic discrimination, violence, and forced conversions. Hindu women, particularly young girls, are often abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to Muslim men with little to no legal recourse. Temples are frequently vandalised or destroyed, and Hindu communities are subjected to social and economic marginalisation. Blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against Hindus, leading to false accusations and severe punishments. Many Hindu families are forced to flee their homes due to religious intolerance, living in constant fear of attacks. This sustained persecution highlights the dire conditions for Hindus in Pakistan, where their religious identity makes them targets of oppression.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the Undecided database due to the absence of conclusive evidence establishing whether the victim was targeted as part of a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, based on the statements of the victim's father, there was a strong suspicion that the Hindu girl had been abducted by individuals associated with Shafi Orphanage and Welfare, a group repeatedly reported to be involved in targeting girls from minority communities and subjecting them to forced religious conversion. It is important to note here that the persecution of minorities, especially Hindus, in Muslim majority countries like Pakistan is an ongoing campaign, where several Hindu girls are abducted, forcefully converted to Islam, raped and married off by members of Muslim community. However, it is equally important to note that there was a lack of information about whether the victim was an adult at the time of her disappearance. If she were an adult, she would be legally capable of making her own decisions regarding her own life. She has the legal right to choose her partner, elope, adopt any religion, and marry as she wishes, provided her actions are consensual and free from force, duress, deception, or coercion. It could be entirely possible that she acted of her own and went away out of her own free will. Though being an adult does not negate the possibility of manipulation or coercion, it requires cautious evaluation of the available evidence. Moreover, there was no information confirming whether the victim was alive or deceased, adding further uncertainty to the case. At Hinduphobia Tracker, we maintain rigorous standards before classifying any incident as a religiously motivated hate crime. In this instance, there was no direct evidence of abduction, no confirmation of her age, and no definitive information supporting the father’s suspicion. Therefore, this case has been placed in the Undecided database. Should any further information emerge that confirms religious motivation or substantiates the father’s statements, we will review the case accordingly and add it to the hate crime database.