indians-abroad

Updated: Sep 04, 2019 08:38 IST

Jagjit Kaur, a Sikh girl who was allegedly abducted and converted to Islam before being married to a Muslim man in Pakistan, will now be allowed to rejoin her family after an agreement was reached between the teenager and that of her supposed husband on Tuesday.

Governor of the Punjab province, Mohammad Sarwar, tweeted a video message with both families and said, “Great news for Pakistani & Sikh communities across the world. Issue of Nankana girl was amicably resolved to the satisfaction of the concerned families. The girl is safe & in touch with her family. We shall continue to ensure the rights of minorities in Pakistan.”

The video shows the families confirming the settlement of the argument. The father-in-law of the girl said his family had withdrawn their claim to the girl and she was free to return to her parents if she wanted. Jagjit had been kept at a government hostel as the police confirmed details of the incident. The case came to light after the family of Jagjit appealed on social media to the Pakistan prime minister to help recover their abducted daughter. Her father, a Sikh priest, had alleged that she was converted to Islam at gunpoint and forced to marry a Muslim boy.

Under pressure, the Punjab province government constituted a high-level committee to negotiate with Sikhs angry over the abduction and forced conversion of the girl. The committee told the family of the girl and the community members that she had embraced Islam of her free will after marrying Hassan.

Earlier, a video of Kaur’s family had gone viral in which one of her family members alleged that a group of men had attacked their house and kidnapped the girl.