Forced conversions, oppression and suppression has resulted in a drastic decline in the Hindu population in Pakistan – about 23 per cent in 1947 to only 6 per cent now, Islamabad’s leading newspaper The Nation reported.
The report claims that minority Hindu girls are being kidnapped, forcibly converted and married to Muslims, resulting in an extreme drop in the Hindu population.
It further said that the majority of the Hindu population is settled in Sindh, which has witnessed a rise in crimes targeting the religious minority. Hindu girls are specifically targeted to convert them to Islam.
Several incidents of lower caste Hindus being forcibly converted, and upper-caste Hindus being abducted for ransom have been reported in the recent past.
This raises questions on the fact that Pakistan’s Constitution allows everyone to practice his/her religion freely. Hindus in the Islamic nation have even been denied the freedom to live with respect.
According to a report by Movement for Solidarity and Peace, 1000 non-Muslim girls are converted to Islam every year in Pakistan and in Sindh, the ratio is 20 or more girls per month.
“A number of Muslim MNAs, he said, have mocked Hindus for worshiping cows. In their mindless hate-spewing, they ignore the fact that four million Hindus live in Pakistan and their derogatory words hurt the religious sentiments of the local Hindu community. Perhaps, they too need to be sensitised and educated that all Hindus are not Indians and all Indians are not Hindus. India has over 200 million Muslims and other minority groups as well,” the Dawn had quoted Lal Malhi, PTI’s MNA on a minority seat, as saying earlier.
The atrocities by the Pakistani government and the stern conditions of the Sharia Law has resulted into the migration of 5000 Hindu families from Pakistan to India per year.
Even the Pakistani police refuse to take any action, and after a couple of days the girl is brought back with legal documents of conversion. This ensures the legal cover to avoid being punished by law.
The issue was raised by the Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), Dr Ramesh Kumar who argued that religious pressure groups promote hate mongering in the region and create enough pressure to stop anyone from taking any action.
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