In the intricate and often turbulent tapestry of Pakistan’s socio-political landscape, the state’s relationship with religious minorities is a persistent and deeply troubling thread. Periodically, this tension erupts into formalized state actions, cloaked in legal terminology but often revealing a darker undercurrent of discrimination. One such action, dubbed “Operation Sindoor,” became the subject of a rigorous and explosive investigation by Amnesty International. Their report, titled “Pakistan: Criminalizing ‘Hindu-ness’? Operation Sindoor and the Forced Conversions and Marriages of Hindu Girls” , isn’t merely a document; it is a stark, evidence-based indictment of systemic injustice, pulling back the curtain on a practice that devastates lives and undermines religious freedom.
What Was Operation Sindoor?
To understand the gravity of Amnesty’s findings, one must first understand the operation itself. Initiated in the southern Sindh province—home to the majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population—Operation Sindoor was ostensibly presented by authorities as a crackdown on illegal activities. However, its implementation quickly revealed a more targeted agenda. The operation focused on verifying the marital status of Hindu families, particularly demanding to see marriage certificates (“nikah namas”) for Hindu couples.
This demand is profoundly problematic because Hindu marriages in Pakistan have only recently begun to be officially registered following the passage of the Hindu Marriage Act in 2017. For decades, Hindu unions were solemnized by traditional religious ceremonies without state-issued documentation. By demanding paperwork that, for most of history, did not legally exist, authorities effectively rendered countless Hindu families vulnerable. This created a pretext for harassment, intimidation, and the devastating accusation that young Hindu women were living with men out of wedlock, a serious crime in Pakistan.
The Chilling Findings: A System Designed to Persecute
Amnesty International’s report meticulously dismantles the official narrative, exposing Operation Sindoor not as a benign administrative exercise, but as a coordinated campaign of persecution. Their investigation, based on extensive field research, interviews with victims, lawyers, and activists, reveals several key patterns:
- Weaponizing Law to Target Minorities: The operation provided a legalistic veil for the harassment of the Hindu community. Police and other officials, often accompanied by members of hardline religious groups, would conduct raids on Hindu homes and temples. The demand for marriage certificates became a tool of coercion, with the implicit threat of legal action for “immorality” or abduction if documents (which they never possessed) could not be produced.
- Facilitating Forced Conversions and Marriages: Amnesty found that the atmosphere of fear created by Operation Sindoor directly facilitated the abduction, forced conversion to Islam, and forced marriage of young Hindu women and girls. Perpetrators, often with the alleged complicity of local authorities and religious figures, would use the threat of legal action under the operation to pressure families. In some cases, abducted girls would be quickly produced before a court, where a fraudulent “marriage certificate” and a statement of conversion—often given under duress—would be presented as evidence of her willing change of faith and marital status. The courts, operating within a biased system, frequently accepted these claims at face value, dismissing the pleas of the victim’s family.
- The Complicity of a Flawed Justice System: The report highlights a critical failure within the Pakistani judiciary when handling such cases. Judges often prioritize religious identity over individual liberty. Once a girl utters the Islamic creed (Kalma) in court—even under obvious coercion or fear—her case is frequently considered settled. Her age is routinely disputed and often arbitrarily recorded as over 18 to circumvent child protection laws, despite the presentation of official birth certificates. This judicial bias effectively rubber-stamps the crimes of abduction and forced conversion, granting them a veneer of legality.
- Creating a Climate of Impunity: Perhaps the most damning conclusion is that Operation Sindoor entrenched a culture of impunity. Perpetrators act with confidence, knowing the system is skewed in their favor. Police often refuse to register First Information Reports (FIRs) filed by distraught Hindu families or actively side with the abductors. This sends a clear message to minority communities: you are not equal citizens, and the state will not protect you.
The Human Cost: Beyond Statistics
While the report deals with legal and systemic analysis, its heart lies in the harrowing human stories. It tells of parents living in perpetual fear for their daughters, of communities terrified of a knock on the door from officials, and of young girls whose lives are irrevocably shattered. These are not abstract concepts; they are stories of trauma, loss, and the brutal denial of fundamental human rights: the right to religion, the right to choose a spouse, and the right to life free from fear and coercion.
The term “Sindoor”—the red vermilion powder worn by married Hindu women as a sacred symbol of their union—was twisted into an instrument of oppression. An operation named after this symbol of commitment was used to invalidate the very marriages it represents, tearing families apart under the cold guise of law and order.
Amnesty’s Recommendations: A Blueprint for Justice
Amnesty International did not merely diagnose the problem; it provided a comprehensive blueprint for redress. Their urgent recommendations to the Government of Pakistan include:
- Immediately halt Operation Sindoor and all similar discriminatory practices.
- Investigate all allegations of abductions, forced conversions, and forced marriages, and bring perpetrators to justice.
- Ensure the proper implementation of the Hindu Marriage Act 2017, allowing all Hindu couples to register their marriages easily and obtain legal proof.
- Enact clear legislation that criminalizes forced conversions, establishing a minimum age for conversion and requiring judicial inquiry to ensure it is free and voluntary.
- Provide training to police and judiciary on handling these cases impartially and sensitively, prioritizing the best interests and free will of the victim.
A Call to Conscience
The Amnesty International report on Operation Sindoor is more than a critique; it is a global call to conscience. It forces the international community to look beyond geopolitical alliances and see the stark reality of religious persecution unfolding in Pakistan. It challenges the Pakistani state to live up to the ideals enshrined in its own constitution and to its international human rights obligations.
The story of Operation Sindoor is a powerful reminder that human rights are not a Western concept but a universal imperative. It underscores how easily majoritarian prejudice can be institutionalized and weaponized against the most vulnerable. Until the Pakistani government heeds these recommendations and takes decisive action to protect its minorities, the promise of equal citizenship will remain a distant dream for its Hindu community, and the dark shadow of operations like Sindoor will continue to loom large. The world is watching, and the demand for justice, as articulated so powerfully by Amnesty International, will not be silenced.