The religious persecution of Hindus continues unabated in Pakistan as reports of killing, forced conversions and attacks have become a common occurrence in the Islamic Republic.
In a latest such happening, a Hindu family was found dead in Umerkot last week.
Bodies of Chaman Kolhi, 32, and his three children were found hanging over trees in the mango farm, local reports said.
The deceased were residents of Kunri, police said, while trying to paint it as a suicide case. The family took the extreme step over a domestic feud, the officials claimed.
There are numerous incidents of such nature, wherein Hindus would be harassed, and their unmarried women and girls be taken away forcefully to be married to Muslim men. The Hindu women, once married to Muslims, be converted to Islam.
In case, someone resists their conversion attempt, the Hindu victims would either be killed or forced out of the country. In all, the lives of Hindu people would be made hell.
Hindus in Pakistan, according to records, fear persistent harassment by extremists as there’s hardly protection accorded to the community by the Pakistan government.
They say that secret files are maintained about them and their integrity is always in question. Hindus are not allowed to be a part of armed forces, or judiciary and are not appointed to any responsible position in civil services of the country.
The allegations levelled against the Islamic country are substantiated by the facts, which reflect an almost negligible presence of Hindus in administration, bureaucracy, and the armed forces.
Discrimination and prejudice against the minority community are reinforced by the religious orthodoxy, within educational institutions as well as by the mainstream media, which is mostly state-controlled.
As a consequence of the oppression and discrimination, the last two decades have seen a steady exodus of Hindus from Pakistan. This exodus, however, has left behind a community that is most vulnerable and in urgent need of socio-economic protection.
The population of Hindus in Pakistan has increased from 3.5 million in 2017 to 3.8 million in 2023, making it the largest minority community in the Islamic nation. However, as they say, the devil lies in the details. While the Hindu population has increased in gross numbers, their share in the total population has plummeted from 1.73 to 1.61 percent. This is based on the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) 7th Population and Housing Census, 2023.
Pakistan’s total population in 2023 stood at 240,458,089, it said. Interestingly, the population of Christians also increased from 2.6 million to 3.3 million, with their share in the total population also going up from 1.27 to 1.37 percent. According to the latest census, the population of the Sikh community stood at 15,998 and Parsi at 2,348.
The data showed that the country’s population increased from 207.68 million in 2017 to 241.49 million in 2023 at a growth rate of 2.55 percent. At this rate, the data showed that Pakistan’s population is expected to double by 2050.