- RSS
- Today's Paper
- Subscribe
- beta 2.1
Alerts
Scenes from Jacobabad: Over news of mass Hindu migration, CM orders inquiry
Forced conversions, kidnappings are intolerable but not every family is leaving.
A video grab from Express News footage of one of the Hindu girls on the train in Jacobabad on Thursday morning. Only two families are believed to have actually migrated with the rest seeing off a Maharaj or going on Yatra themselves. PHOTO: IMTIAZ KHAN/EXPRESS
SUKKUR:
The widely publicised report of Hindus migrating to India en masse has blown up – with the Sindh chief minister taking notice – but conflicting accounts about the reason for their visit have emerged.
The CM wants a three-member committee to be headed by the minster on minority affairs report back in two days. Sources in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad said they could not comment because of the conflicting reports in the media.
The former head of the Hindu Panchayat of Jacobabad, Lal Chand Setlani, told The Express Tribune that on Wednesday, a renowned Maharaj of Jacobabad, Santosh Puri, along with his followers left for a Yatra (religious pilgrimage) to India. As the Maharaj has a huge following, a large number of people from Balochistan, Jacobabad and Kashmore had come to the railway station in Jacobabad to bid him farewell.
While his departure was portrayed as a permanent migration, Setlani said that only 11 of the followers accompanied the Maharaj. The rest were there to see him off.
The state of law and order and forced conversions in Sindh has made the situation “intolerable”, said Hindu Panchayat Jacobabad President Baboo Mahesh Lakhani. Kidnapping of Hindu traders and children for ransom and extortion is common, he said, but they are not just restricted to Hindus. But when people started playing with our honour, it became intolerable, he said.
“MK, a 15-year-old resident of Gharibabad Mohalla Jacobabad, was kidnapped five days ago and nothing has been done so far.” (see box).
Lakhani said that it was wrong to assume that every family boarding a train or bus for Lahore from Jacobabad was migrating to India.
He added that while Hindu families have migrated to India, they don’t get a red carpet welcome there. However, he criticised elected representatives of minorities. They either live in Islamabad or Karachi and the “hot weather of Jacobabad and other areas is keeping them away from us”. Other representatives from Jacobabad, such as Aijaz and Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, have supported them instead.
Ramesh Lal, who is the president of Hindu Panchayat Thull, was recently kidnapped by armed men near Khairpur and was kept hostage for 11 days. Lal said that while Muslims are also being kidnapped for ransom, the kidnapping and conversion of Hindu girls was simply intolerable.
According to Lal, most of the Hindu families have migrated from Jacobabad, Thull, Garhi Khairo, Buxapur, Kandhkot and other areas. However migrants usually go to Indore in India, where a large number of Sindhi Hindus are settled. They help them with accommodation and jobs. While most people go to India for religious pilgrimage, about 15% stay back.
Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the patron in chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, claimed that dozens of families were migrating to India every month.
It is believed that the families who have migrated are from the middle class who cannot afford to pay extortion money. According to Vankwani, hundreds of families migrated to India in the early 1990s but many returned in 2000. “The law and order situation was satisfactory till 2006 and the issue of migration arose again in 2010,” he said.
Sindh minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that the reports of migration are exaggerated. “If a Hindu girl is eloping with a Muslim boy of her free will, then what we can do,” he said. He responded to allegations of ignoring Hindus by citing the example of the recovery within 11 days of Ramesh Lal.
The president of the Hindu Panchayat of Karachi Division Amarnath Motumal said that the issues were being politicised. “Which community or sect is safe in Pakistan? Hindus are not migrating but they go on visit visas and come back. The issue is being exploited,” he said.
“First, we are Pakistanis and then Hindus. No one shares facts and figures of migrating families. One can’t cry that all Hindus are migrating when a few are moving for certain reasons. People want to live here. They are more secure here than in India. I know they come back after spending a couple of months there.”
With additional reporting by Sameer Mandhro in Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2012.
Read more:
hindupersecution
Reader Comments (33)
Pakistan Latest Stories
'Blasphemous newspaper': Court denies bail to Ahmadi distributors
Two other alleged accomplices were granted bail.
PML-N leader’s party membership suspended over bus hostess slap incident
PML-N leadership demanded answers within three days, while CM Punjab ordered inquiry into the matter.
Cylinder blast in Gujranwala plaza injures seven
Injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Imran Farooq murder: Scotland Yard officers raid more houses in London
The police had raided two houses in the same area on June 18.
Protesting killings: MQM MNAs walk out of National Assembly session
The MQM MNAs returned to the house after registering the protest.
Jiah Khan's letter will be sent to handwriting expert: Police
Sooraj was arrested June 10 in connection with the suicide of actor Jiah Khan.
Imran urges action against drones as he becomes MNA
Imran had missed the official oath-taking ceremony on June 1 on grounds of ill health.
New businesses: Two arrested for issuing false fitness certificates
Fake OGRA regional office busted.
Save the children: Two more lives lost to measles in Faisalabad
Death toll since January in the district reaches 48.
Recent Slideshows
More in Pakistan
For political parties & their victims, Karachi’s Fitra collection more sin than sawab
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or derived from.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is copyrighted © 2013 The Express Tribune News Network.
Technical feedback? [email protected]
“They are more secure here than in India.”
This is the bottom line of the story..!
Recommend
This all stuffs are based on just prejudice..i am not in the favour of the act which Paki government shows but they have their own conservations
Recommend
These tears of innocent people will cost Pakistan dear.
Recommend
Look with your Hearts Eye states the Quran
The Eyes of this girl tell the whole story
Pakistanis doing such erroneous acts will be in living Hell as promised by Allah
The leadership in this country is ignorant ” saying if the girl elopes what can we do?
Recommend
Even when Amarnath Motumal says, “First, we are Pakistanis and then Hindus,” he will not get much sympathy in a country where the majority claims: “First we are Muslims then Pakistani.”
Recommend
Stop persecuting Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities in Pakistan. Allah ka khauf khao jalimo..
Recommend
Picture is worth thousand words. Lady is crying because some Maharaj (Spiritual leader) is going on a pilgrimage. Give me a break please.
Recommend
@Sapan Kapoor:
You speak the truth.
Recommend
I don’t blame Hindus for looking for better life in India. Pakistan is a country that prides itself for sending its best commodity overseas …its people. How can we fault our Hindu brothers for going for better opportunities. In this country politicians are busy lining up their pockets and everyone tries to go elsewhere wherever they can go to better the future of their children.
In Pakistan everyone wants to go somewhere except our leaders who are becoming richer in Pakistan at our expense by staying right here.
Recommend
As Gillani said “Who is stopping them to leave the country”. Even the Pakistani muslims are leaving the country. If government doesn’t provide security, law, basic rights then who will live in this country.
Recommend
Now what is pakistan,s stand on Rohingyas?
Recommend
@Sobriquet
Even in India , all muslims say they are muslims first , then Indian . But we Hindus consider our country greater than our mother.
Recommend
Very Strange !
Are you people living on this EARTH; people are being victimized by high birds, Landlords without discrimination of believes on both side of borders.
Even Muslims in Pakistan and Hindus in India are deprived from their basic rights. They are living below poverty line, every day looting, killing, kidnapping, corruption; the identical problems can be observed in both countries.
Recommend
Our Great Quaid knew long before anyone else that Hindus can’t live with Muslims. These people should be allowed to go since their heart was never in Pakistan. But to assure the safety of Muslims in India, some Hindus must be kept back in Pakistan, as the Great Quaid had suggested.
Recommend
ET you was also one of those who reported about migration and there was not a single word about Yatra in that story. Instead of reporting those different views you chose to report the migration one. You are biased and spreading misinformation about Pakistan
Recommend
Great Qaid ? Unfortunately he was a shia. He would have been shocked to see the status of Shias in Pakistan these days.
Recommend
Send us your christians, sikhs, aethiests and ahmadis as well. we will provide them home and security like with did with millions of others.
Recommend
@Vishnu Dutta
Please provide secuirty to the minorities of Aasam, Compensate for the loses of minorites in Gujrat, Applologize the case of Babri masjid and move your thousands of Army from kahsmir. You can talk about Pakistanies later
Recommend
@Sapan Kapoor:
Open your eyes to the facts! much more minorities have been persecuted in India. Still as we speak, minorities are suffering in Aasam, Yes there is lack of security in Pakistan, But we all are facing it equally, its not as much targetted as the show on the print media. Even the Hindu representative said its being exploited! We have constant bomb blasts in Mosques killing many more majority Muslims… We all are facing security issues whether they be Majority or minority..
Recommend
My heart weeps as the true Sindhi of the soil are leaving. We need to admit that Pakistan and influential people of Sindh are making their lives hell day by day. Not only they are insecure but they are being targeted on the basis of religion. I feel disgusting and extremely sorry for them!
Recommend
@Vishnu Dutta:
Dear Mr Dutta ,
would it be ok if we could add our National and Provincial assemblies as well ,Your hospitality will be much appreciated and so will your kindness …
Thank you
Sincerely
ZK..
Recommend
The tears of an innocent have great power and would not go unpunished. We should fear the natural laws of justice. Beti, I only wish I could do something but I am bare hands!
Recommend
This is so bad. Are they not citizens of Pakistan? When we do these things to people belonging to other religions (are definately Pakistanis), how do we expect the world to treat us the same way? This is very very shameful. Is our religion all about forcefully converting people? No it’s about co-existing with people with different beliefs. It is a very sad state of our country that we are so involved into ourselves that we ignore the cries and pain of other. This will eventually come to us because we these people are no more the next set of infidels are Muslims who are not extremist. Absolutely shocking!
Recommend
@ Kaalcharka: Sir you definately need education on humanity especially on living with people who do not follow your belief and has done you no harm. Mr. Jinnah was a very liberal leader not some uptight, egoistic Muslim like you, He created Pakistan for betterment of Muslims not for born haters like you.
Recommend
@Pungi: hello indian, india is safer than pakistan today security wise and this goes for all hindu muslim sikhs altogether because pakistan is unsafe because war on terror, but targeting specifically that hindus are unsafe is a lie, they may feel little discriminated but dont the muslims in pakistan who have gone through gujrat massacre feel if not same but on higher degree of concern
Recommend
these hindus chose pakistan over india – now they are finding out that it isnt working out, and there’s harrasment , especially for the women ( and btw muslim women are also harrassed in pakistan ) so they are now choosing india over pakistan –
it’s as simple as that – im not insinuating that they are materialistic , because to some extent all of us make choices and then reverse them
but neither do i feel it worth all the discussion that has occured on this forum
Recommend
@midhat:
you are 100% right when you say that Muslims are also getting killed in Pakistan thro’ bomb attacks etc.But please ask your conscience & mind whether Hindu girls in Pakistan are deliberately being targeted or not ? Is the Pakistan government or society doing anything to help the Pak Hindus to THRIVE or only survive? A simple law banning any marriage with Hindu girls (converted or not) with Muslim boys for a minimum period of 10 years (till 2022) will drastically reduce the sinking Hindu community whose population is shrinking day by day in Pakistan
Recommend
It’s not religon but ppl makes difference, if majority community had stood up? Minority could have felt safe but i guess majority beleives allah(invisible) is greater then visible (humanity)..Shame !
Recommend
@kaalchakra: How ? more muslims live in peace with hindu’s or and other religions in india and around the world. Ppl like you who are brainwashed and cannot think beyond tunnel type thinking are actually destroying pakistan
Your so called quida was modern person/and was democractic and he was definately not religious, yes he used ppl like you, to write his name in history with blood of lacs ppl..
Grow up ! have you seen Allah ? I have not seen
Recommend
This is an unsecure land in which we live, majority or minority no issues we all are facing tribulations because of unjust choices we made four and half years back. As for hindu girls marriage yes it is unjust. But in India too the same problems persist. This is wrong but overstatement to say that hindus are maltreated . All of us__ punjabis, sindhis, pushtoon, balochs, all are penalised only god knows for what crime. In sindhi these are extortions and forced conversions, in punjab the atrocities committed by feudals in Balochistan the sardars make people hostages, either hindu, christian or a muslim
Having said that situation is no better in india. How many Muslims in India have this right to double vote? Can any one tell why after every decade this is gruesome hiundu muslim riot. First of all learn to be good human beings we all would be good hindus or muslims or sikhs later. i am a proud pakistani. This is a bad times we are going through but believe me situation in no better elsewhere
Everywhere majority thinks it is its birth right to persecute minority, may it be in Aassam or Gujrat, Sindh or Mayammar. Please stop the unjust and exxagerated propaganda against pakistan. We all are unsafe may we be hindu or shia muslim or sunni muslime. The only remedy i know is to come out of your houses protest and then please, i repeat please cast your votes in the elections for the sake of better , safer Pakistan
Recommend
@ fareeha
As for hindu girls marriage yes it is unjust. But in India too the same problems persist.
Lady last I heard there was not a single incident of a muslim girl’s forced marriage and conversion to hinduism after commiting rape.forget about her being a minor girl almost a child into her teens. even if it had happened I know enough about my country’s law and court that the culprit had been punished and the girl sent back to her family INSTEAD OF HER BEING SENT TO THE RAPIST BY THE COURT ITSELF AS SEEN IN YOUR COUNTRY AND FORGET ABOUT THE GIRL BEING MINOR. No doubt India has also cases of minority brutality but not of this type and most importantly THE COURT BACKS THE VICTIM AND FOLLOWS RULE OF LAW AND NOT THE BANANA REPUBLIC LAW seen in Pak courts whose judges seem to have forgotten basic legal rules and logic followed everywhere in the world
Recommend
@Fareeha just think that : How Many Muslims in India are migrating to Pakistan?
and try to think about Assam, it is Illegal Bangladeshis who are encroaching on tribals lands, it is not Hindu vs Muslim but local vs foreigners, they Bodos tried to remove Bihari/Bengalo/Marwadi Hindus too.
and to take riot between two community the other one has to be proportionally strong, it is not one sided at all, again Media always takes side of minorities here no matter how false their case is.
Recommend
@fareeha:
Watch the reality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o36-bO6eHBk&feature=relmfu
Recommend