Fifty Hindu couples across Pakistan took their wedding vows during a mass wedding ceremony on YMCA ground, Karachi organised by the Pakistan Hindu Council . The council has been arranging mass weddings since 2008.
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On DawnNews
Comments (98) Closed
Veer
Jan 03, 2015 05:31pm
Nice and colourful. Nice to see Hindus having the freedom to celebrate
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Vikrant
Jan 03, 2015 05:47pm
nice photography........ good to see hindus are marrying in their tradition!
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peace
Jan 03, 2015 06:02pm
Excellent. All Pakistanis are equal regardless of relegion.
Peace.
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anis
Jan 03, 2015 06:19pm
I have attended one of these mass marriage ceremonies. they are full of love, laughter, children running around with sweets and elders joking. It's an atmosphere of love and celebration. Great job dawn for covering this event! We need such good news of new lives starting more often.
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Adil
Jan 03, 2015 06:34pm
How many Hindus remain in Pakistan?
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aadil
Jan 03, 2015 06:34pm
Kammal hai yaar..Photographer ki jitni tarif ki jaye kam hai ..lajbab..
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roshan
Jan 03, 2015 06:46pm
Excellent news...
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Rajeev khanna
Jan 03, 2015 07:00pm
Hindu Population Was 20% In Pakistan In 1960
And Now 2% ....18% Hindu Is Where???
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Anser
Jan 03, 2015 07:32pm
@rajeeva khanna: in Bangladesh .
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Indian Dalit
Jan 03, 2015 07:34pm
Beautiful colors of Pakistan, thanks for sharing Dawn
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anwar rathore
Jan 03, 2015 08:07pm
@Rajeev khanna Mass migration of Hindus to India and Muslims to Pakistan was one of the unfortunate consequences of partition. My family migrated from Maharashtra to Karachi.
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Mohammad Akhtar
Jan 03, 2015 08:13pm
Good luck to all of you and wish you happy life.
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khalid Baloch
Jan 03, 2015 08:34pm
nice
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Safwan
Jan 03, 2015 08:37pm
@Rajeev khanna Here is an official figure: 1951 census, Hindu population is 6% in West Pakistan. Currently it's around 5% according to leading estimates.
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SarfrazHussain
Jan 03, 2015 09:22pm
Peace and good wishes to all
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Kashif Jilani
Jan 03, 2015 11:00pm
So happy to see this.
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Sarath
Jan 03, 2015 11:23pm
@Rajeev khanna - Kindly please be informed West Pakistan had around 5% hindus during the time of partition, & it was including East Pakistan it summed up to 22%. We need to work hard to clean each others slate.
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Shafique
Jan 03, 2015 11:29pm
Another evidence of religious freedom in a muslim society... despite all the challenges, conspiracies and terrorism our society offers so much for every one.
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abdul
Jan 04, 2015 12:09am
@Rajeev khanna Muslim population was 40% in India before partition now it is only 12%
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Kamran
Jan 04, 2015 12:11am
Congratulations to all couples and their parents
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Seedoo
Jan 04, 2015 12:37am
Our Hindu brothers have just as much right over Pakistan as any Muslim. They are equal Pakistanis in every aspect and their constitutional rights, just like any other minority, must be protected at all costs. They should have equal access to education, jobs, and opportunities to progress in life.
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concerned_Cit
Jan 04, 2015 12:59am
Show these pictures to the terrorist RSS, who are forcefully converting people in India.
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Syed
Jan 04, 2015 01:07am
Congratulations and prayers for these couples. Hope they prosper and live in peace.
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Kushagra Dixit
Jan 04, 2015 01:30am
@anwar rathore bhai you are absolutely correct, but had your family stayed back in Maharashtra, they would have enjoyed same life as in Karachi, maybe better. Our former prime minister once said that Muslims (minorities) have first right on countries assets, this is the reason for our growth and why world had started to look upto us for solutions of their problems, despite little poverty left. Could you say the same for your minority? See where extremism has taken you. Sad and shame.
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Syed
Jan 04, 2015 01:33am
We need to see more such welcome scenes, showing minorities in Pakistan enjoying peaceful lives, free of any persecution and harassment, symbols of a civilized society and a tolerant country.
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Kushagra Dixit
Jan 04, 2015 01:52am
Thanks Dawn for covering the event, though it's not surprise that something like this becomes a national news in Pakistan. Though, looking upto the establishments like yours, it seems Pakistan does have a future. Thumbs up!!
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mohammad farooq
Jan 04, 2015 02:55am
Congratulations. I wish all of them peace, love, happiness and prosperity.
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Gus
Jan 04, 2015 03:18am
good to see some tolerance towards minorities.. good job Pakistan. Step in right direction, atleast nobody ran away with these girls to make them Muslims. !
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Kelkar
Jan 04, 2015 04:45am
@Sarath
You are incorrect. Hindus & Sikhs in Punjab were 50-50% in W Punjab. 20% in Sind and sizable population on Balochistan and Frontier.
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Canada For Canadians
Jan 04, 2015 04:58am
Hope Constitution is amended to remove "Islamic" from Republic of Pakistan to give Hindus ,Christians,Sikhs and others like Ahmedians, Suffis same rights as muslims when they can become Presidents , Prime Ministers and Head of Military. Until all religion is banished to personal domain and state and religion is separated by the Constitution, there is no chance of equality except pictorial equality. The grave stone of Abdus Salam still cries out that he was not muslim scientist.
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sudhakar
Jan 04, 2015 05:27am
How many will be kidnapped and converted?
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Atif
Jan 04, 2015 05:44am
Congratulations.
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Ali
Jan 04, 2015 06:23am
This is Pakistan!!!
Sense of Freedom in air always..no matter what the situation is.
Hindus are very well off and happy as you travel across Sindh plus they love it here.
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Safwan
Jan 04, 2015 07:16am
@sudhakar And how many Muslims have been killed in riots last year?
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Ahmed USA
Jan 04, 2015 08:23am
So glad that you all have taken such a big step together!!!...Prayers and wish of happiness for the newly wed couples on this special day of their wedding!!!... :)
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Asma
Jan 04, 2015 08:38am
Mass Wedding - How convinient ! Wish other communities also promote it and stop having lavish weddings. Elite class must come forward and become role models.
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Haroon Rooha
Jan 04, 2015 09:05am
@concerned_Cit ,There no conversion in Hinduism,You cannot enter or leave Hinduism.All matter organic or inorganic is Hindu,Was Hindu Will be Hindu.The un educated hate to wards hinduism is true .
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Azam Khan
Jan 04, 2015 09:29am
@Rajeev khanna, the Muslim population has increased by leaps and bounds & that is the reason the %age of the Hindu population in Pakistan seems less. I hope my answer satisfies you.
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Azam Khan
Jan 04, 2015 09:46am
@Kushagra Dixit, why ! a mass marriage of Muslims or for that matter any other minority does not get the media attention in India. That is surprising.
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Mahesh
Jan 04, 2015 09:48am
@Adil They are reduced from 25 to 1% . and most of them are in far thar desert.
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Azam Khan
Jan 04, 2015 09:56am
@Rajeev khanna, completely misleading figures. It was 6% and now it is 5%. This 1% decrease is due to the big increase in the Muslim population.
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salim
Jan 04, 2015 10:47am
@abdul how do you know?
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dr dileep kumar doultani
Jan 04, 2015 12:03pm
Very nice, missing u all friends. Because I m in Muscat now. I m still advisor of Pakistan hindu council. Phc arrange every year this gathering for poor families of hindu community from different part of Pakistan specially sindh.
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asgher
Jan 04, 2015 01:48pm
@Rajeev khanna rajeev khanna
this is a common misconception. At the time of partition BEFORE the migration in 1947 it was 18%
then in 1951 the first census concluded its 2% and it has been same ever since.
You can go ahead and search about this. nobody can be converting or killing 20% of 18 curore hindus without starting a worldwar man !!
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asgher
Jan 04, 2015 01:51pm
@Kelkar dude these high number of percentages were there before partition. BEFORE MIGRATION.
Make some sense bro, no body could be CONVERTING or KILLING 20% of 18Curore population without raising alarms internationally...
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asgher
Jan 04, 2015 01:53pm
@Canada For Canadians
The reason why this country was founded was to practice islam and all minorities are given freedom in islam.
If we remove the word islam the ideology of the country would cease to exist.
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dharani munda
Jan 04, 2015 04:57pm
@Azam Khan in India no one feel like minority. Only these are political issues.
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Ajaya K Dutt
Jan 04, 2015 11:18pm
@Anser - You are amazing. How low can a person go?
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Safiuddin Mohammed
Jan 04, 2015 11:21pm
@Rajeev khanna THEY have left for India...its the economy, dear.....dont you worry about the 18%...they are safe and sound and prospering in India.
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Sami
Jan 05, 2015 01:43am
@Rajeev khanna The beauty of the ceremony, in freedom, and the support expressed by so many of us, your muslim brothers and sisters, gives me cause for hope.
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Sawera
Jan 05, 2015 01:51am
@Rajeev khanna This is totally wrong. Where did you get your figures from?? The total percentage of minorities all together has never been more than 2.5 %! Check your facts better next time, Sir!
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Mohammad Farooq
Jan 05, 2015 02:22am
@dr dileep kumar doultani Doctor you doing a great service.
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innocent
Jan 05, 2015 03:09am
@Rajeev khanna Most of them were in present day Bagladesh.
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syed abbas
Jan 05, 2015 03:27am
may you have a happy life friends
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Musa
Jan 05, 2015 07:31am
@anwar rathore : What for?
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Musa
Jan 05, 2015 07:40am
@Safwan: In the Ahamedabad riots --700. BTW: 'only' 300 Hindus killed!
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Musa
Jan 05, 2015 07:43am
@Safwan: How many Muslims killed by Muslims in Pakistan in 2014? How many Pakistanis were killed by the Indian Borders Services in 'held' Kashmir in 2014?
This is a challenge for you ot publish, Dawn.com!
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Ali
Jan 05, 2015 07:45am
@Rajeev khanna whats the Hindu Population of Bangladesh ;)
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Krishna
Jan 05, 2015 10:44am
@Safwan : Nice joke....
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Krishna
Jan 05, 2015 10:45am
@Ali : Nice joke,,,
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Suresh
Jan 05, 2015 11:33am
Good news amidst all the chaos, terror attacks and other unpleasant news.
Let the community be part of nation building and south asia be a more prosperous and peaceful region from 2015.
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ProudtobeanINDIAN
Jan 05, 2015 12:08pm
Good to see the ceremony but feeling sad to see the condition in which still Hindus living in Pakistan... Living standards are still very poor... Hope one day everything will be ok and they will progress and live a descent life... God bless..
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Qas
Jan 05, 2015 02:07pm
Perfect! Loved the pictures and the comments ;)
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Aamchi Mumbai
Jan 05, 2015 02:24pm
@abdul Please look at the base figure. There is a big difference in basic figures now compared to the time of partition. In case of India one should use nos. not % of total population.
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ak
Jan 05, 2015 02:25pm
Apparently photos are good….but their faces and dress say that they are all extremely poor…and we have never heard the name of any Hindu representing Pakistan…. Another question – at the time of partition, Hindu was about 20 to 25% of total population and now they are hardly 2%. Where they have all gone… …?
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Aamchi Mumbai
Jan 05, 2015 02:27pm
@Azam Khan because its not big news in India. It is a regular affair.
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lim
Jan 05, 2015 02:56pm
thanks to dawn for covering them
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Dipak Singh
Jan 05, 2015 03:07pm
@abdul
you have wrong info. bro,, while partition Muslim in India 9% and now its come to 15%. please Google now for your kind info.
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khabboo
Jan 05, 2015 04:17pm
@Adil Why don't we employ you to do the counting. Why not comment on the actual story rather than trying to cause a bit of friction.
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Genesis
Jan 05, 2015 04:48pm
@Anser
You mean they were wiped clean even befor eBangladesh was formed?
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Pradeep
Jan 05, 2015 05:31pm
@Kushagra Dixit - Perhaps that is why Congress is not in power anymore. Instead of saying "Muslims has first right" it should be "Poor has the first right on the country". A poor can be a Hindu Dalit, a Christian or a Muslim. How come on religion or community (be it minority or majority) can have first right? This is the kind of the thought process which has crippled India (and Perhaps Pakistan too). Neither Hindu nor Muslim has first right, its the poor who deserve it. Mind it.
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sangan
Jan 05, 2015 09:08pm
@Safwan Ok, why the percentage has declined?? Your answer please!!
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Syed Ali
Jan 06, 2015 02:45am
Lets celebrate the event; stats prove nothing.
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Munna
Jan 06, 2015 07:10am
@Syed Ali Ya, stats prove nothing, as long as it is advantageous to us.
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kumar
Jan 06, 2015 07:39am
@abdul no it was actually 89.5%; the hindus conspired to bring it down.
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Pragmatic
Jan 06, 2015 09:19am
Beautiful brides and grooms, wish them a very happy life
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KD
Jan 06, 2015 09:36am
@concerned_Cit; Not forcefully. Historically conversions to Hinduism stand disapproved, however the mindset is not the same in 2
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KD
Jan 06, 2015 09:39am
@Seedoo ; respect the countrymen no matter what their religion. In Pakistan make Muslim electorate vote for Hindu candidates. Can that happen? Its going on India since independence.
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KD
Jan 06, 2015 09:42am
@anwar rathore; Rathore Sahab, at partition there were 9-percent Muslims in India, and that stands at 15-percent of 1.25 billion, which computes to more Muslims in India that Pakistan/Bangladesh combined.
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Gaurav
Jan 06, 2015 10:09am
Thumbs up for Dawn for covering up this news .
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Om
Jan 06, 2015 10:11am
@Safwan Care to show that "official report"?
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Om
Jan 06, 2015 10:11am
@Sarath - This is completely wrong information - please state your source.
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Om
Jan 06, 2015 10:13am
@abdul Wrong stats - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_India
Year Total Population Muslim Population Percentage
1951 361,088,090 35,856,047 9.93%
1961 439,234,771 46,998,120 10.70%
1971 548,159,652 61,448,696 11.21%
1981* 683,329,097 77,557,852 11.35%
1991** 846,427,039 102,586,957 12.12%
2001 1,028,737,436 138,159,437 13.43%
2011*** 1,210,569,573 177,700,000* 14.6%
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Om
Jan 06, 2015 10:13am
@sudhakar 95%
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Om
Jan 06, 2015 10:13am
@abdul
Year Total Population Muslim Population Percentage
1951 361,088,090 35,856,047 9.93%
1961 439,234,771 46,998,120 10.70%
1971 548,159,652 61,448,696 11.21%
1981* 683,329,097 77,557,852 11.35%
1991** 846,427,039 102,586,957 12.12%
2001 1,028,737,436 138,159,437 13.43%
2011*** 1,210,569,573 177,700,000* 14.6%
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Om
Jan 06, 2015 10:14am
@Sarath Wrong stats
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jay patel
Jan 06, 2015 11:30am
Congratulation to all hindu brothers and sisters. Love from India.
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ayesha
Jan 06, 2015 12:01pm
@anwar rathore
I am proud to be Maharashtrian Muslim.We had muslim chief mininster of Maharashtra A.R. Antulay.Fareed Zakaria is also Maharashtrian Muslim.In Maharashtra,Muslims are more progressive and you would find them in all fields.By the way the party you fear Shiv Sena has maximum Muslims(Kokani Muslims).
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Sajjad Khan
Jan 06, 2015 01:34pm
It is so touching that we have something good for out fellow Hindu citizens Hindus, instead of converting them and who have married in the Sindhi fashion and keeping it alive.
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SSS
Jan 06, 2015 05:55pm
@Safwan : from where u get statistics, when there is no cences after 1998 in pak??
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Guarav Sharma
Jan 07, 2015 03:22am
Nice to see that Hindus also have got some freedom in Pakistan. But waiting for the day when we can see equal rights and liberty for Hindus in Pakistan as Muslims have in here in India... btw nice work by photographer and Dawn..
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Khan
Jan 07, 2015 06:16am
Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!why is it a news. Aren't they Pakistani?
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kannababu
Jan 07, 2015 07:20am
Amazing...These are the laurels any country should preserve, wonderful...A country should be like bunch of flowers and should contain all type of flowers, not one.
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Janardan Prasad
Jan 07, 2015 07:49am
It is pleasing to see that Hindus are at ease to get their right ,it will uplift the image of Pakistan apart from Harmony in country.Spectacular scene and photography.
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Manish Pandey
Jan 07, 2015 02:24pm
@abdul Dont manipulate the figures .... where is 40 % Hindu population in Lahore and Karachi??
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Zak
Jan 07, 2015 05:01pm
@Adil around 5 million.
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Modi now with wife
Jan 07, 2015 05:16pm
Now we Indians know Pakistan treats its minorities far better than Indians do our own. We learn so much from reading these forums, as indian media only give us wrong picture about Pakistan and write bad about them.
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shaan
Jan 08, 2015 05:26am
@Canada For Canadians In Islam, we have equity, not equality. A man, and a woman need different things, and have different strengths and weaknesses. Canada cries out for equality, but this is the downfall of the West. They cannot see that people are all not equal, but they are all equitable and have same human rights; to freedom of oppression, freedom to live as they wish in their own homes.
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