THE media has continuously been reporting about violence, abduction, threats and forced conversion of Hindus in Sindh for the past couple of years.
Recently Anil Kumar and his family were beaten and threatened at Tharari Mohabat, Dadu district. Thirty-seven members of five Hindu families migrated to India from Thul, Jacobabad district, owing to discrimination, and three Hindu doctors, all brothers, were murdered at Chak, Shikarpur district.
Lots of similar incidents were happening daily, some of which are not even reported, proving that some vested interests were trying to create the worse atmosphere for Hindu families so that they leave Pakistan.
A recent survey conducted by the Pakistan Hindu Seva shows that at least 10 to 14 families migrate from Sindh to India every month, which is alarming. Another survey conducted by the Scheduled Caste Rights Movement revealed that out of 640 Hindu families, including Bheel, Menghwar, Balmeeki, Arya, about 527 families complained that they were served in separate utensils at hotels in their localities.
It is rather surprising that the Peshawar Cantonment Board had also issued a notice under illegally-occupied government property to 70 Hindu families to vacate their houses in 1993.
They had been living there for the past 130 years.
It seems that they are facing discrimination, violation, abduction, and threats from everywhere despite being in the majority within a minority.
It is a pity that the government is also ignoring them though there are five Hindu PPP members in the Sindh Assembly, three of whom are with ministries, including a minority minister, Mohan Lal Kohistani.
However, no one has taken interest in providing security to the Hindus. Migration of Hindus will be a great loss of brain-drain to Sindh as doctors, engineers, agriculturists, businessmen and intellectuals have been migrating to India.
It is also a violation of human rights and the fundamental rights of Hindus to force them from this land by different means.
I appeal to the government to take this issue seriously and announce a commission to look into the matter and provide full-time security to Hindu families in Sindh.
RUBAB JAFRI Chairperson Human Rights Forum Office Dadu
