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Pak conversion: Families strike compromise, Sikh girl to return home
Chandigarh A compromise was reached between the Nankana Sahib-based family of Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur and that of Muslim man Mohammad Hassan, who had married her
Chandigarh A compromise was reached between the Nankana Sahib-based family of Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur and that of Muslim man Mohammad Hassan, who had married her last week, with the latter agreeing to sever all ties with her.
On Tuesday, Hassan’s father and his lawyer met girl’s father and brother in the presence of Pakistan’s Punjab governor Mohammad Sarwar. Hassan’s father gave a statement that he will not stake a claim over the girl. The girl is currently staying at a shelter home in Lahore.
“We are in the process of completing legal formalities after which Hassan’s father will go to the shelter home to convey his decision to Jagjit and then she will be allowed to go back to her parents,” a member of girl’s family told HT, adding that the family has not met the girl since the controversy erupted.
The alleged abduction-cum-conversion of the girl had come as a jolt to the Imran Khan government, prompting Pakistan PM’s personal intervention to resolve the issue.
Girl’s family claimed that she was 18, however, Pakistan government authorities, citing national database, said she was 19. It was also said that the girl married Hassan on her own accord, a claim vehemently refuted by her family.
“We have reached a compromise in the presence of the governor and distance ourselves from the girl. We wouldn’t stake any claim over her. We have no problem if her family takes her back,” said the man’s father.
Daughter of Bhagwn Singh, a granthi at Gurdwara Tambu Sahib (Nankana Sahib), the news of the Jagjit marrying Mohammad Hassan, a maulvi, became public on August 27, setting off protests by Sikhs in India and Pakistan.
Both girl and the man lived in same locality. As the demands for sending back girl back to her family got shriller, local Muslim community claimed that the two were married and girl had adopted Islam, so annulling marriage was impossible.
In a veiled threat a secretary rank officer of the Evacuee Trust Property Board Tariq Wazir said the local Muslim community was under pressure and expressed apprehension of backlash against the Sikhs.
