THE remnants of Kalat Fort (Meeri) lie at a stone’s throw, on the western side, from main Kalat city. It is said that a sizeable Hindu community once lived here, next to the old fort. But after the disintegration of the Kalat dynasty, over time, many left and settled in Kalat city, where they remain to this day.

Unlike other parts of Balochistan, the Hindus of Kalat city are said to be descendants of the oldest rulers of this historic place. “Traces of old settlements of Hin­dus in Kalat have been found,” says Professor Aziz Mohammad Bugti, who has authored several books in Urdu on the history of Balochistan. “The name of Kalat comes from a Hindu ruler, Kalat Seva. It was after the arrival of the Arabs and the Baloch that the Hindus’ domination in the region dwindled.”

Kalat’s main Hospital Road snakes through the heart of the city and bifurcates the Hindu mohalla into eastern and western sides: here, there are six temples on either side.

It is a pleasant evening and young Maharaj Sain Shamgir leads around 35 men in prayer at an old Kali Mata Temple. His elder brother Rajash Kumar says: “You will see Hindus residing only in Kalat city. They used to live in the remote areas of Kalat district, but over time, they settled here due to unknown reasons.” He explains that to this day, artefacts connected to the Hindu community can be found in remote villages of Kalat.

It is said that the Hindu community moved to the city for access to the amenities it offered. Kumar backs the claim, adding that they adopted a city lifestyle for progress, education for their children, and access to health facilities. “The elders of Kalat have a brotherly attitude towards the Hindu community. We attend each other’s funerals, weddings, and other religious festivities,” he muses.

However, deteriorating law and order in Balochistan has left an ineffaceable mark on the Hindu community here. Many of them have migrated to Sindh and even to India. Even so, the situation is said to have improved and many in the community now speak of relatives returning to Kalat city. Kumar says that many of them are back, but some had to move to the neighbouring Khuzdar district beca­use of space constraints in Kalat city.

He adds: “There are currently 200 Hindu households in Kalat city, and if — suppose — some 100 households had migrated, 80 of them are back in Kalat.” This claim, however, cannot be verified independently.

The Hindus of Kalat are mostly shopkeepers, traders, and businessmen, and they contribute to the economy and the development of the town. Deepak Kumar, a resident of Hindu mohalla, says that, “Unlike in the past, Baloch residents are also becoming shopkeepers, traders, and businessmen, [which used to be] predominantly Hindu vocations. We are still stuck in our same old businesses, and can only progress by gaining education,” he says. “But, unfortunately, the state of education for Kalat’s Hindu community is abysmal. Access to better education, as a Hindu, means moving out of Kalat city and settling in Karachi and Quetta.”

Kumar explains that the Hindu mohalla, too, is more crowded because the population has increased. “Those who had money and were affluent, migrated because they saw a brighter future for their children away from Kalat city,” he says.

Hindus’ primary vocation of trade and commerce has also left them vulnerable to being kidnapped for ransom, he says, adding that the reason is that Hindus are soft targets.

In Kalat, as elsewhere in Balochistan, Hindus and Baloch used to live in harmony. But the situation for Hindus changed during dictator Ziaul Haq’s rule. Since then, Hindus say that they have experienced a rise in intolerance in society and a shift in Muslims’ attitudes towards them.

Some members of the community tell me that three Hindu girls were forcibly converted to Islam in recent years. One of them, however, does not concur: “Two of the girls were not forcibly converted,” he maintains, “but it [the incident] has sown fear in the hearts of parents who, now, don’t send their daughters out for education fearing that it might end in forcible conversions or marrying outside the community. My sister had to stay home after matriculating, because my parents are scared of [the consequences of] sending her away for higher education. This is our main concern.”

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2017