Coerced religious conversion in Pakistan

[8] Jürgen Schaflechner, a cultural anthropologist specializing on Hindus in Pakistan, states that conversions are rarely motivated by religious zeal, and are instead a consequence of the commodification of and denial of agency to women in a deeply patriarchal society.

[9] In May 2007, Christian citizens of Charsadda (a city which is close to the border with Afghanistan) reported that they had received letters purportedly from the Taliban threatening them with violence if they do not convert to Islam, and that the police did not take the threats seriously.

[20] In November 2016, a bill prohibiting forced conversion was passed by the Sindh Provisional Assembly, punishing perpetrators with a minimum of 5 years in jail, and a fine paid to the victim.

[27] Candice Bergen, the Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, has commented that "The reports coming out of Pakistan of Christian and Hindu girls being abducted, raped, forced into marriages and coerced to convert from their faith are deeply concerning and need to be addressed".

[29] They appealed the Government of Pakistan to stop the alleged abuse where people in their teens had been "kidnapped from their families, trafficked … far from their homes (and) made to marry men sometimes twice their age".

[30] At an event organised against forced conversion, the Dutch politician and European Parliamentarian member Ajan Haga, said "The human rights abuses in Pakistan are deeply alarming and require urgent attention.