Pakistani Hindus seek safety in India
Hindu devotees worship at the Manher Mandir temple in Karachi.—AFP Photo
KARACHI: Preetam Das is a good doctor with a hospital job and a thriving private clinic, yet all he thinks about is leaving Pakistan, terrified about a rise in killings and kidnappings targeting Hindus.
A successful professional, he lives in mega city Karachi with his wife and two children, but comes from Kashmore, a district in the north of Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh.
His family has lived there for centuries and in 1947 when the sub-continent split between India, a majority Hindu state, and Pakistan, a homeland for Muslims, Das’ grandparents chose to stay with the Muslims.
They fervently believed the promise of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah that religious minorities would be protected. Sixty years later, their grandson says life in Kashmore has become unbearable.
“The situation is getting worse every day,” he says.
Two of his uncles have been kidnapped and affluent Hindus are at particular risk from abduction gangs looking for ransom, he says.
Rights activists say the climate is indicative of progressive Islamisation over the last 30 years that has fuelled an increasing lack of tolerance to religious minorities, too often considered second class citizens.
Das says the only thing keeping him in Pakistan is his mother.
“She has flatly refused to migrate, which hinders my plans. I can’t go without her,” he said.
Hindus make up 2.5 per cent of the 174 million people living in the nuclear-armed Muslim nation. Over 90 per cent live in Sindh, where they are generally wealthy and enterprising, making them easy prey for criminal gangs.
An official at the ministry of external affairs in New Delhi who declined to be named said: “Every month about eight to 10 Hindu families migrate from Pakistan. Most of them are well-off.”
He had no comment on whether the number was on the rise, but Hindu community groups in Pakistan say more people are leaving because of kidnappings, killings and even forced conversions of girls to Islam.
“Two of my brothers have migrated to India and an uncle to the UAE,” said Jay Ram, a farmer in Sindh’s northern district of Ghotki.
“It’s becoming too difficult to live here. Sindhis are the most tolerant community in the country vis-a-vis religious harmony, but deteriorating law and order is forcing them to move unwillingly,” he added.
Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council and a former lawmaker for Sindh province, said Hindus are picked on by kidnappers and that their daughters are subject to forced conversions to Islam.
“Every now and then we get reports of families migrating. It’s getting worse now. People are extremely harassed and are forced to leave their homeland but our rulers are shamelessly idle,” he told AFP.
Rights activists also say Hindus in Sindh are discriminated against.
“Recently 37 members of five Hindu families migrated to India from Thul town owing to discrimination while three Hindus, including a doctor, were murdered in Shikarpur district,” said Rubab Jafri, who heads Sindh’s Human Rights Forum.
“Lots of violent incidents are happening daily. Most go unreported, which shows vested interests are trying to force Hindus to leave Pakistan.”
According to the Pakistan Hindu Seva, a community welfare organisation, at least 10 families have migrated from Sindh every month since 2008, mostly to India, but in the last 10 months, 400 families have left.
Another survey last year by the local Scheduled Caste Rights Movement said more than 80 percent of Hindu families complained that Muslims discriminated against them by using different utensils when serving them at food stalls.
“Hindu migration is a brain-drain for Pakistan as most of them are doctors, engineers, agriculturists, businessmen and intellectuals,” Jafri said.
But the provincial authorities are reluctant to recognise a problem.
“I do admit that law and order in some districts of Sindh is quite bad, but it is bad for everyone and not just my community, the Hindus,” Mukesh Kumar Chawla, provincial minister for excise and taxation, told AFP.
“Hindus do not migrate in flocks as has been claimed and those who migrate are going abroad for a better fortune,” he said.
jamil is right . at least hindus have an option but where will muslims go
The country had been partitioned in 1947. Though the Govt. Of India may take the stand that the problems of Hindus in Pakistan is the internal problem of Pakistan, the majority of Hindu Indians cannot close their eyes. Any Hindu migrating to India from Pakistan or Bangladesh should be allowed to take Indian citizenship
However, Bangladeshi muslims must not be allowed in India. If they have crossed over to India illegally , they must be arrested and jailed in concentration camps before being returned to Bangladesh.I hope the political parties take a stand on this issue immediately. This can become a very serious problem tomorrow, resuting in pogroms, etc.
i don,t like my indian government.they don,t care about hindus dying in pakistan.they should think .what is happining to our hindus brother and sisters in pakistan .
I find it annoying that many of my fellow Indians have posted comments praising India's treatment of Muslims. I feel the better response, in the spirit of this editorial, is to ensure justice for India's minorities. For thousands of Sikhs and Muslims families who have been at the receiving end of day time riots, there have been very few convictions since 1984 or 2002 (I believe less than 50 convictions for each of the Delhi & Gujarat riots). Yes, the glass is not just half empty, it is also half full – many Sikhs and Muslims live good and successful lives in India but to flaunt that violates the self-critical nature of the Dawn editorial. Lets elevate ourselves, not score points against each other.
Sorry for posting this comment in response to the wrong article – it was supposed to be in response to a Dawn editorial on the same topic.
On a bigger scale even muslims are being targeted in Pakistan for being muslims. Poverty and education is the main culprit here. When we put the same individuals in a just society then behave.
There is no excuse for not converting ourself in to a developed nation in 60 years. If we cannot fix our issues in 60 years then we better clean the slate and start over. Same goes for India
my fellow indian and pakistani brothers,i just want to ask a simple question to all of you.is it necessary to persecute a minority religion justbecause they are miniscule in numbers.the hindus in pakistan also love their homeland pakistan as much as the muslims do.so just because they are hindus they shouldn't be persecuted or discriminatedd in the name of religion.i know in india there are a few people who want the muslim community out of this country,but believe me,for each such man there are 100s of men who would do anything to protect the rights of minorities in india.secondly the muslim community has contributed a lot for the development of india.even our current vice-president is a devout muslim.so all i ask is that can't we all live in peace and harmony insteaf of getting indulged to mindless violence in the name of religion!
the mullahs are responsible for instigating the people against hindus and other minorities for violence.Pakistanis should stop these people from commiting crime against humanity.Tolerance is totally gone from society.
Sadly, the discrimination and criminal behavior towards the minorities in Pakistan is here to stay. Anyone who raises a voice against such behavior is cut down and the murderers are hailed as heroes. The only viable option left for all the minorities is to find a way to migrate to India or elsewhere.
i feel very sad by this whole situation in Pakistan and the hindu girl was forced to marry a Muslim by the police and local cleric in sindh. i think Pakistan have a whole generation with such a mindset that needs years to change.
It is better if Pakistan and India open up their borders and grant citizenship to enable Muslims from India and non-muslims from Pakistan to migrate to the other side. After all, this was the point of basis for partition. Completing the business of partition will bring long term peace.
best solution which is not possible
No need. Pakistan may have been created as a Muslim state but India was , is, and will remain secular. If any Muslim wants to leave India for Pakistan he is free to do so, but no one will be forced to do it. Don't forget that among the many brave Indian soldiers who laid their lives for the country there are many Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. We all live side by side, work together , play together. If we suffer we suffer together. If you don't like it , quit India.
In India, the rules are equal for all, infact if a muslim does not want to go to court and have settlement on the basis of sharia law, the court does not intervein, unless one of the pary goes knocking on the court door. Most of the film star are muslim, WIPRO – Mr. Premji is muslim and one of the richest man in India. We have so many muslim minister and presidents, we have 180 million muslims in India.
But it is very sad to read this article. My pakistani brothers please look after your fellow citizen
As much as i love my country india, I have faced harrasment at the hands of the local police here in hyderabad (India) only because of my religion (I have proof that i cannot share here). There are good and bad people everywhere.
Sorry brother, I agree, good and bad people lives in every society, religion. But problem is that, in a Muslim majority country it is very hard to live for the non-Muslim. All laws, authority & general sentiment of the public is not encouriging. Islam is so intolerant to other religion that it rubbishes all rituals, practices of other religion. It can not even accept that all religons are is as good or as bad as Islam is. That is the reason that all Muslim countries are mosty Muslims, with few exceptions.
Such a shameful situation it is for all Pakistani nation. Either we should stop calling ourselves a Muslim State or should end such discriminations which never belonged to Jinnah's Pakistan. I personally feel really sorry for all minorities of Pakistan who are facing such difficulties and solely condemn this lawlessness for minorities in some areas of Pakistan. And I know that majority of Pakistani nation never wants any Pakistani, from any religion, to leave Pakistan and settle anywhere else. So unfortunate we all are that Pakistan which was built to keep people secure is not successful in doing so. Really sorry to all minorities on behalf of the whole Pakistani Nation. One day we will amend our mistakes insha'Allah!
I am living in rawalpindi and have many hindus and christian friends. i admit that there is a law and order issue in pakistan but lets face it the minorities not only face this issue the muslims also face this type of issues. The reason for this type of behaviour is not so called islaminisation but education. We should realize this and stop propaganda agaisnt islam. Islam does not teaches us this. This happens all over the world. these extremists exist all over the world like KK Clan(or whatever you may call them) exist in America thribing for white power. the Shiv Sena existing in India. Can anyone tell me whatever happened in Gujrat and to Babri masjid and still no action has been taken by the authority. Do we consider on this aspect that hindus are extremist. Dont give your opinions on the basis of some events. In case you have not noticed Pakistan is at War and in these cicumstances such type of incidence does take place
Dear Raja.. In india every one gets justice… Dear Gujrat riots started by muslims by killing 58 Hindu pilgrims, including 25 women and 15 children. In 1528, after destroying the ancient Ram temple located at Ayodhya, Babur built a mosque…. Mugal destroyed all our culture and heritage in india… I want answer for these questions 1st.. who will get justice 1st??????