The Bharchundi Sharif shrine is a sufi centre, which houses the tomb of saint Hazrat Hafiz Muhammad Siddiq.
Dharki, a city located in the Ghotki District of upper Sindh is home to a sizable Muslim community, as well as a Hindu minority.
The Sant Satram Das Temple, with its sprawling grounds is overlooked by multiple statues of Hindu deities and is located close to the Bharchundi Sharif Shrine.
The shrine is a Sufi centre with a madrassah that has been mentioned in the media in connection with a high number of alleged forced conversions of members from the Hindu community in the area.
The administrators of the madrassah, including the local MNA Mian Abdul Haq also known as “Mian Mitha” maintain that the conversions are not forced but a result of the individual’s own choice and convertees approach the shrine as a safe haven in cases where their family doesn’t approve of their conversions. – Text by Zehra Naqvi/Dawn.com, photos by Zehra Naqvi and Salman Haqqi/Dawn.com
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Let me ask few very simple and straight forward questions from the people who are converting other people from one religion to other religion e.g. from non-Muslims to Muslims and/or other way:
1. Would the God be happy with you and what would he give you in return?
2. Would you stop fighting with each other if there was only one religion?
3. Would every one be equal and would every one have equal opportunity?
4. Would you be contented and every one would live peacefully with each other on this planet earth?
There is a proverb of Baba kabir Das, which says:
Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala
Bura Na Miliya Koi
Jo Man (Dil) Dhoonda Aapna
Mujh Sa Bura Na Koi
The planet earth is big enough where every one can co-exist in harmony, only if the common sense could prevail.
For God’s Sake, stop the Blame Game and think that:
Eko Khuda Kay Sab Bande
Sab Changey Koi Na Mandey
Pictures reflect poverty in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Majority of Hindus, Dalit’s, and Muslims etc. live in miserable situation in various cities and country sites. Muslims and Dalit’s are living in worse situation in Calcutta, Mumbai, etc. than the situations published in Dawn. At least, Hindus have food to eat in Pakistan but Muslims and Dalit’s are starving as they do not have jobs. I hope Dawn expose their situations as well.
totally nonsense and ridiculous! if these r not forced conversions then why rinkle is not living with her so called husband naveed shah. it is all because she has been physically and mentally tortured. when she announced to go with her parents before supreme court, why supreme court took u turn. why were her parents not allowed to enter court room.
Despite Gujarat riots Muslims are safe in India than Ahmadiyas , Shiyas , Hindus in Pak. No muslim in India wish to migrate to other countries. Instead Muslims from Bangladesh flooding to India . A muslim Mr Kalam served president of India under BJP regime , Muslims getting crores of rupees grants for Haj pilgrimage , Is it possible for Hindus in Pak ? .
Yeah despite gujrat riots where thousands of innocent Muslims have been killed, Its still safe/good in India. Where even famous Muslim actors (Saif ali khan, shabana azmi, imran hashmi) cannot buy a flat or home in mumbai because they are Muslims (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jetfWliiOVg). Where hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris are killed and deprived them of right of self-determination which was promised by your beloved leader jawahar lal nehru. Imagine how safe a common muslim would be. There were lost of muslims migrated to Pakistan from India e.g Ghazal king Mehndi hassan, IBSF world snooker champion (1994) Muhammad Yousaf etc. Sikhs also get crores of rupees grant in Pakistan their temples were really looked after in Pak (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfRdUCfNS8o) whereas in India their golden temple was burnt down (most sacred place for sikhs) under congress regime. Bangalis were flooding to india because of floods not discrimination. A Hindu Rana bhagwandas was made the acting chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In India there even discrimination among Hindus e.g phulan devi belonged (according to your uppercast Hindus) to lower lowercast and raped and discriminated. There are tons of examples in this concern but because of time and space i am not mentioning
I think you had an overdose of media propaganda thats why you skipped the other side of picture. Just pay attention to your country and let us try to pay attention on ours. Dont try to pretend that your are living in heaven because thats way far away from reality.
Then appeal to your muslim brothers to leave India and join you.
This man appeared on television and corrected his name to be Mian Mitha.
What is wrong with journalism to get a man’s name not right so many times?
I am happy DAWN is publishing them boldly. Kudos to DAWN. This definately creates awareness of the plight of Hindus
The hindus possess a very good chance to take asylum in India. Three of my Hindu friends already done this. In fact the Hindu Seths/ business tycoons have made the poor Muslims life miserable the huge consumption of electricity with altered energy meters and other utilities so on and so on. Hindus never treat this country as their own, I have seen myself celebrating India’s victory against Pak in a games.
my dear friend this is not urs problem . it is problem of pakistan. who only division. on name of islam jinnah made pakistan. just in 25 year u say u cant live with bengali because they wear sari, and they decided to go away. forget hindu. what about MQM. or muhajir. what about shia. what about ahmadiya they are muslim even though they are not happy with pakistan. same thing with baloch.
Thanks DAWN for bringing such landmarks to light.
This slideshow missed Gurdwara Daharki, which is one of the largest in Pakistan. Further, the images portraying Hindus of the area doesn’t represent their actual state. They are by and large well-off people with key businesses/professions in the region.
Scheduled caste Hindus live in the village depicted in these photos and it is mostly they who face problems like forced conversions and discrimination amongst other issues common to the area like poverty, lack of education, healthcare etc. Gurdwara Dharki is where Sikhs worship, while we wanted to highlight problems faced by Hindus in the region.
That’s the realty, and we really facing these problems in our area especially north Punjab. Thanks
A glorious Sufi shrine with its controversial Madrassah, but no glorious hind temple! Patently Pakistani reporting. But do show the dirt poor Hindus! Are there ANY successful Hindus in Pakistan? Is there ANY living former Muslim in PAKistan who has been forcefully converted to Buddhism, or Hinduism?
Kudos to Dawn for highlighting a civil rights issue for Pakistan’s minorities.
The psychological warfare used by the Mullahs and other Muslims to convert non Muslims is well known to the world.
The world can see beyond the Purdah.
true.these forced conversions and marriages are the reason islam lost to christianity
Very saddened seeing the condition of minorities, in particular, Hindus situation in Pakistan..
Respected editors, thanks a lot for the rare feature and equally rare pictures!
May ALMIGHTY grant blessings to visit these blessed shrines & temples!
Keep it up, good humans!
While there is no justification for forcefully converting anyone to Islam and is not allowed in Islam itself, one more thing which is strictly forbidden is going to Shrines and making any kind of Wasilla. Once a person is dead he is dead he cannot help you as he even cannot help himself.
Conversions is a matter of interpretation.The biggest mistake made during partition should have been that all muslims leave India and all non muslims settle in India.This would have put an end to all such problems.However speaking from what I hear, the mislims in India thank their Allah that their ancestors did not settle in Pakistan.No offence meant. But I feel sorry for the non muslims in your country regarding the treatment of their girls and their families general life.This is a fact you cannot deny.
This sorry place called Pakistan will have to afce the consequence of what it has been doing to itself and the rest of the world.
All that glitters is not always gold. Best that every country concentrates on their own problems rather than clapping over others problems and telling ”you see we are better.”
Kindly feel, understand, read and contemplate before publicly pushing the envelope carrying such myopic views! If only the mere observers know/knew the plight of the politically exploited people who had been living together for centuries!
INSHA ALLAH, some die-hard optimists still dream of an unmatched brotherhood between the so called rival Nations!
All humans bleed red. We, as well as all living & non-living all around us, are the creation of The Only ONE ALLAH TAALA!
@Neer Nayan: Or, they are chn of a lesser God? Muslims demand equal rights in all non-Muslim countries but dare not allow their own minorities such equality. In PAKistan, anyone who advocates justice for women, Hindus, or Christians is KILLED!
there will never be peace man. Muslims in India , they live in constant fear. don’t have to look far. just look at Gujarat and recently Assam. maybe it will refresh you memory.
The “better” appearance of India is an illusion. It looks better only by default, nothing else. Otherwise it is the largest collection of poor wretched people on this planet.
sorry but pakistan neither looking good. nor want to be better
While HIndus are not always well treated in Pakistan, which is highly deplorable, you do not have a big mouth either. You treat your Muslim minorities and even Hindu lower caste people in an equally nasty manner if not worse. Pakistan surely need to improve itslef but you would do a good job if you clean your own back instead of poking your fine nose into other’s backyard. Going back to the issue at stake, there may be some unscrupulous conversion but nothing seems to be conclusive. In one case, the girl was a doctor who eloped with her colleague and appeared in the court the next day to declare the whole thing her personal choice while her brother lodged a charge of abduction and forced conversion. However, this may not always be the case. The issue is serious and Pakistan government should thoroughly investigate it.
I am sorry but could not resist writing this after reading your comments. How can you deny the incidence of Babari Masjid and massacre of hundreds of muslims in Gujarat? The muslims living in India might be happy but I would prefer living a life of poverty in my country rather than live a lavish life in India. Btw, its not ego, its self-respect. Peace.
we dont deny the incudent of babri masjid which was built after demolishing a Hindu temple. When u talk abt gujarat, why do u forget the massacre of innocent karsevaks by muslim butchers.
Pakistan is for ever community…
But minority as second class citizens,as they cant become president/PM/COAS etc
Surinder Singh Kade
New york
FYI: Rana Bhagwandas a hindu minority is an ex-chief justice of Pakistan. Get your facts right, think before you speak.
Your comments are rather based on your emotions.
Minorities enjoy every right as any other citizen in Pakistan, The reason they cant be a President is because its in the constitution, if some one wants to change it pass a bill. Its the same case in USA, if the person is not a US born he can not be the president, but this does not mean that that person is a second class citizen!
are you kidding me. For once be true to you allah keep your hand on your heart and then speak.