Pakistan's Supreme Court today directed authorities to keep two Hindu women who were allegedly abducted and forcibly converted to Islam in a women's house for three weeks so that they could have time to decide their future independently and in a free atmosphere. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry ordered police officers to escort Rinkle Kumari and Lata Kumari,who were produced in court,to the Panah women's shelter in Karachi. The bench,in its order,observed that though Rinkle and Lata had performed 'nikaah' and joined their husbands,there were allegations of forced conversion. It said there was apparently a lot of pressure on both women from their parents and courts. After recording the statements of the women during in-camera proceedings,the bench came to the conclusion that they required time,free from pressure,to decide about their future. The apex court adjourned the case till April 18. The bench was hearing a constitutional petition filed by the Pakistan Hindu Council against the alleged forced conversion of the women. Rinkle,who purportedly adopted the name Faryal Bibi,and Lata,who purportedly assumed the name Hafsa Bibi,had earlier told lower courts in Karachi that they had converted voluntarily and married Muslim men. Both women belong to the southern Sindh province. Qadir Khan Mandokhail,the counsel for Rinkle's mother Sulachana Kumari,told PTI that the apex court had decided to record the statements of the two women during in-camera proceedings as the appeared to be confused and under pressure. Mandokhail said "Rinkle's mother was allowed into the court-room and the girl then said she wants to go with her mother". The bench observed that any nikaah or conversion involving the two women had possibly not been conducted in a "free environment",he added. The Supreme Court has ensured that this issue was not given a religious colour,as some people were trying to do. Hindus and Muslims have been living together in Sindh for ages. During the course of proceedings,the bench admitted several applications from all parties for hearing. The Chief Justice told Malik Qamar Afzal and Mujeeb Pirzada,the counsel for Rinkle's "husband" Naveed Shah,and Khalid Ranjha,the counsel for Lata's "husband" Nadir Baig,that the women would require time to think over their future. The Chief Justice opined that the women would be unable to think freely in a charged atmosphere and pressure from parents,court and husbands. Justice Tariq Parvez,a member of the bench,observed that the issue should not be treated in the backdrop of religious affiliations as it was a common practice even in non-Muslim families that girls and boys married without the consent of their parents. Raising a query,the Chief Justice further said the "difficulty" in this case was that they had embraced Islam and solemnised their 'nikaah'. After the bench recorded the statements of the two women behind closed doors,lawyers and relatives were allowed to enter the courtroom. The atmosphere in the courtroom grew tense when Ramesh Kumar,the father of Lata,stood up and said in a high-pitched voice that his daughter wanted to go with him but was being forcefully held. When he continued raising his voice,the Chief Justice asked security personnel to take him out of the courtroom. The apex court took up the matter after Ramesh,patron-in chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council,filed a petition seeking the recovery of three Hindu women who were allegedly kidnapped and forcibly converted. The third woman,Asha Kumari,is yet to be traced.
