Threatened by bandits, Hindus limit temple visits

KARACHI:

The local Hindu communities of northern Sindh are fearful after they were threatened by notorious dacoits in the area following the Seema Haider case.

Seema Jakhrani, a local of a village in Kot Diji, Khairpur Mir's district, had eloped with Ghulam Haider of the Ghari Khairo area of Jaccobabad.

They had settled in Karachi, meanwhile Haider left for work in Saudi Arabia.

Seema, 27, in the meantime fell for Sachin Meena, 22, during exchange of fire on PUBG.

She went to India illegally with her three children and married Sachin Meena and was arrested after being detected.

After the cross-border love story hit the headlines, some dacoits have announced vengeance in the name of honour.

Taking note of the threats, local authorities deployed police at temples.

"I will attack temples in Bakhsapur, Kashmore and other areas if our Seema's issue is not resolved," threatened Umar Shar, a notorious dacoit operating in Sindh's kacha area.

Displaying a number of hand grenades and sitting with his aides at an undisclosed location, Shar said that his friends have already been assigned the "targets".

He also warned SSP Ghotki Tanveer Tunio that the police will not be able to protect Hindus from his attacks.

Earlier, Rano Shar, another notorious dacoit in the Ghotki area, warned Hindus that: "no one will come and worship at the temples." In different videos circulating on social media, dacoits have taken the task to bring back Seema to Pakistan while threatening the Hindu community in different districts of the province.

Sources told The Express Tribune that caretakers of Hindu temples have been directed to restrict their activities.

"Satsung in our neighbourhood has also been cancelled from today during which over 300 women regularly worship," a local Hindu informed The Express Tribune.

"It is a precautionary measure.

We cannot take the risk," he added.

"There is no proper security.

I am not satisfied with it," another Hindu resident commented.

He added that two of the temples have also cancelled their routine worship.

"We do not have any link with Seema's case.

Our own girls are being kidnapped and converted to Islam regularly," he said, adding that the law and order situation for Hindus in Sindh was not favourable.

However, Tunio has assured the elders of the Hindu community that security was being provided to the community's places of worship.

On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party's lawmaker Sardar Muhammad Bux Mahar said "Hindus are our brothers.

They should not be worried.

We have already beefed up security." Ghotki Municipal Committee Vice Chairman Sukh Dev Hemnani told The Express Tribune that his community was satisfied with security arrangements taken by the government.

"These are the non-state actors who are threatening Hindus," he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that two notorious tribes' gangs, including Jakhrani and Shar, have started issuing threats to Hindus in Sindh since Seema Haider's case surfaced in Indian media.