KARACHI: The police and representatives of the Hindu community gave contradicting statements over the issue of minority persecution in Pakistan during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights held on Friday.
During the meeting presided over by Committee Chairman Riaz Fatyana, the police maintained that minorities in Pakistan get equal rights and there was no Hindu migration from Sindh, while representatives from the Hindu community thought otherwise.
Additional Inspector-General (AIG) Falak Khursheed said, “Pakistan is a country where every citizen reserves the right to live his life the way he wants. Minorities especially Hindus girls are never pressurised to accept Islam or to convert their religion.”
He said that only three families had migrated to India while 200-300 other people had gone for a pilgrimage to their holy places this year.
On the other hand, minority MNA Dr Araish Kumar from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa said that the AIG was misguiding the committee by presenting wrong figures. He said that around 12 cases of forced conversions were reported in Tando Allahyar in past one month, while 7,000 Hindus had migrated to India in the past three years.
Mangla Sharma from Pakistan Hindu Council said that over 0.1 million Hindus from Sindh have migrated to India. She reiterated that the government has avoided providing 5% quota of jobs at government departments to minorities.
After a long discussion, the committee recommended that district-level special cells, with representatives from police, home department, civil society and Hindu community, be established to protect minority rights.
The committee further advised the Sindh government to lodge cases under the “Anti Terrorism Act” against those who attack temples and other worship places for minorities in Pakistan, and directed the home department and the provincial government to set up “safe houses” where kidnapped girls can be kept for around one month before being moved to any court.
The officials of the law department were also directed to prepare a draft on Hindu Personal Law with the input on Hindu community leaders.
Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) MNA Dr Attiya Inayatullah, Chairman Pakistan Sikh Council Sardar Ramesh Singh and officials of law and home departments also expressed their views on the issue during the meeting.
COMMENTS (29)
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@Ajeet: she said she WILLINGLY converted in Pakistan apex court
@naresh: one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter
@It Is (still) Economy Stupid: my grand father migrated from hoshiarpur indian punjab the loss in hindus in pakistan is attributed to the punjab population exchange the percentage in the rest hasnt changed much though punjab was tit for tat i think we should done the same cleansing like in jallhandar in faisalabad though only exodus was done
@Singh:
You are right and even I consider Sikh and Hindu is the same religion. We Hindus thanks sikhs for saving the mass conversions of hindus to muslims by Cruel king Akbar and aurangzeb. There is no difference between hidus and sikhs.
@ S Shaikh: Mr. Shaikh I want to divert your kind attention toward Rinkle Kumari case who recording her testimony said that local influential had pressurized her to change religion. There are many instances of this kind. Please do not misguide readers and accept reality that minorities in Pakistan are being discriminated at the hands of majority.
@Singh Go to Wikipedia and search for “List of Indian castes”, then I think you will get my point.
People are making false claims of being forced to convert religion. Being a lawyer I know a couple of Hindu girls hailing from Ghotki and Jacobabad districts who converted their religion and got free will marriage to Muslim boys. They are living very happily lives. Why dont media cover and highlight this success story. This is totally propaganda and hype is being created. time and again I claim that majority of girls fall in love before leaving their families and get married. The same thing happen in India. Many Muslim girls are frequently converted to Hindu religion. Can we term it forced marriage too.
I am impressed with your mathematical skills. Clearly you learnt this from going to an academic school. However your calculation is flawed, deliberately I might add. Nobody is saying these events have occurred for 65 yesterday on a monthly Basis @It Is (still) Economy Stupid:
@Abreez: Don't try to put a twist. Sikh (We) become Singh to fight injustice of Muslim Mugal King. We are Right arm of Hinduism with sword.
@Indian
We people of Sub-Continent never understand a very basic human necessity ‘respect’. Who made Muslims master of Sub-Continent, early local Muslims who accepted Islam by early preachers of Islam, Sufi Saints, like Ali Hujwari, Fared u Din Gunj Shakar, Nazam u Din. Farid u Din Gunj Shakar never asked a barber, barber, he called them beautician. Such attitudes won the hearts of local people and they offered their lives for a new religion. When Muslim rulers failed to give local people basic human necessity ‘respect’, a spiritual space created, new religions introduced by different peoples like Guru Nanak, why Sikhs converted from Hinduism to Sikhism, they wanted equality and respect. Why one finds a large number of castes and sub castes in Sub-Continent, because it’s an unconscious effort by different groups to get equality and respect.
when the day will come when people get rid of these corrupt officials and ruling class? Will it happen? Yes, but not SOON!
@Chander Lal: I cannot even think of that happening with me. And by the way my friend Priya is in love with a Muslim guy but they cannot think of future together just because of religious differences.
@Chander Lal: Running away from problems is not the solution. We should strive for justice and peace. Even Muslims are unhappy with the injustice and corruption in the Pakistani system. But the fact is only cowards run away from battlefield. I love my Sindh and will never leave it at any cost, in fact we all peaceful Hindus and Muslims should fight for justice, realize our responsibilities and rights.
The statement of IGP recalls the speech delivered by chief minister Sindh who once said, "All is well in Sindh". "The target killing has been contained in Karachi and there has been no kidnapping for ransom incident in Sindh for last one year."
At the time of 1947 there were 350 Hindu Temples were there now all of them are demolished and now only 24 of them are only left...The Pathetic thing is the forced conversion of Hindu Girls..which justify the facts how the ancestors of Muslims in Indian subcontinent were converted to islam...Shameful thing is that now they are converting others by force....
Abreez:- what will happen if Hindus in India start converting Muslim girls forcefully...then paste this statistics...However HIndus never believe in forceful conversion.
Over 2500 women converted to Islam in Kerala since 2006, says Oommen Chandy (Kerala Chief Minister) (India Today Sep 4, 2012) “Chandy gave the figures related to conversions in state legislature as a written answer to an unstarred question raised by KK Latika, a CPI(M) legislator. According to Chief Minister a total number of 7713 persons were converted to Islam during 2006-2012 as against 2803 conversions to Hinduism.”
Miss Rani, we love our motherland v much , but we r victimized by many ways n injustice is on peak recent example is of Rinkle Kumari's case, even CJP failed to protect her from terrorist Mian Mithoo...... if this happens to u then u may realize what the pain is n how she suffered....!
even educated muslims dont want to live in this mullah land.
He forgot to say also that there are also no forced marriages, child marriages, or honor killings happening in Pakistan either.
Wow. I've never seen any Hindu complaining about Pakistan in my entire life!! But those Who are blaming the local people and are Migrating to India - Good for them. Love Pakistan or LEAVE Pakistan.
So many people from Hindu as well as Muslim community does not timely arrange marriages of their daughters and sisters for distribution of property and so many other reasons, than they young girls try to arrange on their own, everyone knows love is blind it can't see religion, race, language etc.
India in the past three years.” As of 2010 the population of Tando Allahyar and its immediate surrounds was 400,000. The total population in Pakistan was last reported at 176.7 million people in 2011. 1 million = 1,000,000= (a) 12 cases of forced conversions in one month x 12 months in a year x 65 years since independence =9360 in a small community of 400,000=2340 for per 100,000 population x 10=23400/million x 176.7 million Population of Pakistan=4134780 forced conversions in Pakistan in last 65 years
(b) 7,000 Hindus had migrated to India in the past three years.”equals to 7000 in three years/3=2333 migration per year x 65 years since independence=151,667 total migration/400,000 population of Tando Allahyar =151,667/4= 379167/100,000 of population x 176.7 million total population of Pakistan=66581813 migration of Hindus from Pakistan to India.
Additional Inspector-General (AIG) Falak Khursheed said, “Pakistan is a country where every citizen reserves the right to live his life the way he wants. Minorities especially Hindus girls are never pressurised to accept Islam or to convert their religion.
Wow, it's April 1st already!
hahaha a country where in Natinal television they openly mock other religios group ..think about how pathetically minorties will be living there...Land of converteds now converting others to Islam by force.
Only three familes migrated to india and only 12 forced conversions? What a funny figure by A.I.G. He should once read any sindhi daily paper then he will realise what figure he has made is of one day.
and what do they expect... after all, isn't it the 'Islamic' Republic of Pakistan? But wait, someone please point out to me how Muslims of Pakistan respect all faiths and protect minorities.
This basically means one of the two: Either 1. The Hindu community (The persecuted) in Pakistan are big liers. or 2. 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan' is actually the "Land of Pure".... which makes me wonder - Does the definition of Pure include to persecute the minorities??
I am laughing so hard that I can barely breathe !
Woah.. Now this statement takes the cake !