Tando Allahyar: “Our daughters were taken from us in court—as if they were goats,” says Roshini Meghwar, the mother of 16-year-old Lata Meghwar, who was abducted on July 13, 2025. On the same day, Lata’s religion was forcibly converted, and she was married off to an adult Muslim man, Ali Sher.

Lata was not the only one. Two other girls—Meena, 21, and Kanchi, also known as Anita, 14—were abducted alongside her. All three hail from Sultanabad village in Tando Allahyar district. Except for Meena, both Lata and Kanchi are minors. Yet all three were reportedly married to adult men.

This incident occurred less than a month after a similar case in Shahdadpur, where, on June 18, three Hindu girls and a boy were abducted and allegedly coerced into converting. Now, three more girls have disappeared from Tando Allahyar—drawing attention once again on July 13.

The Tando Allahyar court ordered that a medical examination be conducted to determine the exact ages of the girls.

Court, Officials, and Religious Groups Shield Hindu Girls’ Abductor

The three girls—Meena, Lata, and Kanchi—were working at a local factory and were abducted on July 13. However, Kanchi was reportedly taken while fetching water for her family from a nearby water supply. She had taken the day off from work.

Meena’s father, Bheema Meghwar, told The Rise News that no one had come forward to help recover the girls. He expressed frustration, recalling how politicians and influential figures had visited their community during election campaigns to ask for votes, yet remained silent when their daughters were taken. “No one helped us,” he said.

Soft-spoken and educated, Bheema went on to explain that his daughter Meena had completed her graduation before starting work at the factory. He emphasized that the Meghwar community in Shaanti Nagar, Sultanabad, is focused on education and improving their standard of living—and that this was the first known case of abduction involving girls from their area.

Lata’s father and Kanchi’s uncles, though less vocal, said their story was no different from Bheema’s.

Kanchi’s uncle questioned why the Tando Allahyar court did not allow the parents to meet their daughters—or even permit them to speak during the hearing.

Khatoomal Meghwar, an activist following the case, alleged that from the very beginning, the police had been supporting the abductors—including the owner of the factory where the girls worked. He claimed that the factory owner was complicit in the abductions.

While the owner denied any involvement in the abduction and forced conversions, Khatoomal pointed out inconsistencies in his statements. The man who married Meena, Saeed Ahmed, is from Faisalabad, Punjab, and the factory owner had previously referred to Saeed as being “like a son” to him. Khatoomal questioned how the owner could claim ignorance of the events when he appeared to know exactly who had abducted the girls.

While Mothers Mourned in Court, the Abductors Celebrated

Standing beside a khat—a traditional woven bed—the mothers wore traditional Thari outfits, rich with embroidery and patchwork, and adorned with the customary white bangles symbolic of their cultural identity. Grieving, they were eager to recount what had happened in court. Meena’s mother asked this journalist to visit their home, where they could speak in greater detail about the courtroom experience.

Their homes, though made of mud, were well-kept. The women spoke fluently in both Marwari and Sindhi.

Meena’s mother, Narni, said that more than 400 people were present in and around the court. According to her, people associated with the abductors were allowed inside the courtroom, while the girls’ parents were initially barred. Narni recalled pleading with the police, insisting that as a mother, she had a right to be present. Only after repeated resistance, she said, did the police begrudgingly let them in.

The mothers shared that the girls were closely surrounded by men and that they were not even allowed to lift their heads. Roshini, the mother of Lata, said her daughter was especially close to her sister, who had tried to greet her. However, she claimed that a policeman forcibly restrained the sister, pushing her back and saying, “You’re not allowed to see your sister.”

Kanchi’s mother, Guli, was devastated, tears welling in her eyes as she recounted how her daughter had tried to catch a glimpse of her in court. But, she said, female police officers—acting on instructions from their superiors—were told not to allow the girls to see their parents.

“After hearing our voices, Kanchi struggled to come toward us,” Guli said. “But the abductors forcibly pulled her away.”

“Why were we, the parents, not allowed to see our daughters?” asked Narni, Meena’s mother. “I’m not even saying they must return our daughters immediately,” she added. “But at the very least, the court should do justice. The court should have listened to us.”

Roshini, Lata’s mother, spoke with raw emotion. Her voice trembled as she said that all the mothers were filled with rage. “Do Hindu mothers give birth to their daughters for religious conversion?” she asked, her hands shaking with anger. As her words echoed through the courtyard, the faces of the women and young girls around her turned somber.

“Would Muslims give their daughters to strangers—or to Hindus?” she continued. “If they wouldn’t, why are they stealing ours?”

Narni, taking a deep breath, gently clasped this journalist’s hand as she recalled what happened in the courtroom. “The judge said only a few words,” she said. “He didn’t even ask whether the mothers could meet their daughters. We stood there helpless as our girls were taken from us. The abductors, backed by a crowd, celebrated as if they had won.”

“The judge didn’t listen to the parents,” added activist Khatoomal. “He simply said, ‘Protection granted.’”

After Abduction and Conversion of Three Girls, Others Barred from Attending School

A group of young girls gathered around and eagerly joined the conversation. One of them said that since the incident, their parents had told them not to attend school anymore—for fear that Muslim men could abduct and convert them, just as had happened to the three girls.

“Will we no longer be allowed to continue our education? What will become of our future?” asked one girl, who was enrolled in a nursing course. She said she had hoped to support her family after completing her studies.