PESHAWAR, Aug 13: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) has criticised the government for its failure to protect the rights of minorities in the country.

“It is the foremost duty of a state to protect the rights of minorities but the present government has failed to protect the rights of followers of different religions in the country,” PTI provincial leader Asad Qaisar told a news conference here on Monday.

Flanked by Hashim Babar and minority members of party Javed Payara and Dr Stephen Saleem, he showed concern over alleged forced conversion of Hindu girls to Islam in the country.

Mr Qaisar said that Islam didn’t permit to convert anyone forcibly to another religion. Scores of members of Christian community were also present on the occasion.

“It is prime obligation of the state to ensure protection of the rights of minorities in the country,” Mr Qaisar said. He added that his party would protect rights of minorities and give them full religious freedom if it came into power in the next general elections.

Referring to migration of Hindus from Sindh province, he said that it was failure of the government as it couldn’t stop incidents of kidnapping of Hindus girls and their forced marriage with Muslim men.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Payara condemned the kidnapping of a 19-year-old Hindu girl in Jacobabad and her forced marriage with a Muslim man.

It was unjust, he said, adding that about 300 families had so far migrated to India owing to fear. He alleged that government had failed completely to protect the rights of minorities in the country.

“We condemn forced conversion of underage girls to Islam as it has become a routine practice in Sindh,” Mr Payara said. He also condemned the alleged violence against Christians by Muslims in Shantinagar, Sindh in the recent past.

Mr Payara also expressed concern over what he called the indifferent attitude of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government towards minorities in the province. He said that provincial government had allocated only 0.5 per cent quota for minorities against the five per cent quota availed by them in other parts of the country.

“The affairs of minorities are being dealt through a Muslim member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly,” he said.

Ravi Kamar, belonging to Hindu community, said that followers of different religions were facing threats in the country in general and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular in the present situation.