The press club echoed with the voices of two minority groups on Thursday evening as Christians protested against the burning of a couple in Punjab while Hindus demonstrated against the alleged forced conversion for a girl in Daharki.
The protesters raised their voices to demand justice for the minorities and shouted slogans against the Sindh and Punjab governments, and the Punjab police.
Forced conversions
The Pakistan Hindu Seva’s protest call was answered by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Hindu Panchayat Karachi, Tehrik-e-Niswan and the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) as their members also showed up to protest the abduction of Hindu girls in rural Sindh and their allegedly forced conversion to Islam.
Human rights activist Amarnath Motumal claimed that influential people exploit religion for personal gains. The girls who are forced to convert to Islam are later sold, he pointed out, adding that they have raised the issue several times but the government has always ignored them.
“When I appear in court for cases of forced conversions, I see happiness on the faces of the lawyers representing the abductors,” he said. “The girl looks frightened and the only people who cry in court are the helpless parents of the abducted girl.”
According to Motumal, on average of 20 to 25 Hindu girls are forcibly converted to Islam which makes the Hindu community of Sindh feel orphaned. “Why are the elderly Hindu women or young Hindu men not forced to convert? Why are only girls of ages 10 to 15 years embracing Islam?”
Pakistan Hindu Seva’s president Sanjesh Sunny Dhana complained how no one has been arrested in cases of forced conversions, which is why the cases are increasing. When Pakistan came into being there were 30 per cent Hindus in the country but now their percentage has dropped down to 1.9 per cent, he pointed out, adding that people from Sindh are migrating to India.
Zulfiqar Shah, the joint director of Piler, urged the Pakistan Peoples Party to take the matter seriously. “No one can live when their honour and respect are jeopardised,” he said. “People can stand by when you capture their property but no one can tolerate if you play with their honour.” Performing artist Sheema Kirmani also demanded the government take the matter seriously for the sake of Pakistan’s reputation in the world.
Couple burnt alive
The Christian Resource Welfare Centre, the Minority Women Forum for Justice and people from almost all the churches of Karachi also protested the misuse of blasphemy law against Christians in Punjab. They demanded justice for the blasphemy accused, Shahzab Masih, and his wife Shama Bibi who were burned by a mob in Kot Radha Kishan on Tuesday.
“This is the extreme. They burnt a pregnant mother in front of her children,” said Ghazala Shafiq, one of the protesters who represented the Christian Resource Welfare Centre. “Three thousand people gathered and accused a poor Christian of blasphemy and then beat the family to death. Islam is a religion of peace but this is not peace.”
The protesters demanded a separate province for minorities on the grounds that Christians cannot live together with Muslims. “We want the government to punish those who exploit the blasphemy law and set example for others,” said Jamal Din Rajput, president of the Christian League.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2014.
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