Abduction of 2 Hindu girls triggers Twitter spat between Sushma Swaraj and Pakistani minister

A heated argument broke out on Twitter between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistans's Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday adding to the ongoing tensions between the two countries.

The incident happened after Swaraj posted a news report of the abduction of two teenaged Hindu girls - Raveena (13) and Reena (15) - from Hafiz Salman village in Pakistan's Sindh province. It has been reported that they have been forcefully converted to Islam and were married off to Muslim men on the eve of Holi on March 23, TOI reported.

According to reports, the incident took place in Dharki, a town in Ghotki district of Sindh province. Swaraj asked the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan to send a report over the incident for which the Pakistani minister replied saying that it is Pakistan's internal issue.

"Mam its Pakistin internal issue and rest assure its not Modi's India where minorities are subjugated its Imran Khan's Naya Pak where white color of our flag is equally dearer to us. I hope you ll act with same diligence when it comes to rights of Indian Minorities," the Pakistani minister tweeted.

Swaraj immediately responded to his tweet saying that she only asked for a report of the incident from the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. "This was enough to make you jittery. This only shows your guilty conscience," read the tweet in which she tagged both the Pakistani minister and the Indian High Commission.

The Pakistani minister also replied saying, "Madam Minister I am happy that in the Indian administration we have people who care for minority rights in other countries. I sincerely hope that your conscience will allow you to stand up for minorities at home as well. Gujarat and Jammu must weigh heavily on your soul."

As the ministers argued on Twitter, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan instructed the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab to rescue to abducted teenagers and also asked the two governments to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

India has been raising concerns over the minority communities in Pakistan, especially Hindus in the region as these incidents have been increasing in the southern region of Sindh.

Cases of the abduction of Hindu girls from the lower socio-economic strata are repeated in the districts of Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar and Umerkot in Sindh, reports Deccan Herald. These three districts - Mirpurkhas (33 per cent), Tharparkar (36 per cent) and Umerkot (49 per cent) - contribute to the significant Hindu community in Sindh, adds the report.

The Hindu community in the area has staged protests against the abduction and forceful marriage.