ISLAMABAD: The National Minorities Commission (NMC) has condemned the recent killing of 11 Hindus in Jodhpur district of the Indian state of Rajasthan.

Presiding over the NMC’s second meeting in the ministry of religious affairs on Monday, chairman of the commission Cheela Ram Kewalani condemned the killing of Hindus who had migrated from Pakistan to India some eight years ago.

He said the commission also expressed concern over the atrocities committed by the Modi government against the religious minorities in India, especially the innocent Muslims in occupied Kashmir.

Deplores illegal detention of Kashmiris in occupied valley

Mr Kewalani said India, which claims to be the largest democracy in the world, should show humane attitude towards minorities.

He said: “The oppressed Kashmiris are our brothers and we will continue to oppose abrogation of special status of occupied Kashmir by India on Aug 5 last year.”

The commission condemned illegal detention of Kashmiris in the occupied valley for the past one year.

The commission offered condolences to the Sikh community on the loss of lives in a recent train accident.

NMC member Dr Mimpal Singh thanked the government and the Pakistan Army for providing full assistance to the victims of the accident. He said like other minorities in India, members of the Sikh community were also in serious stress because of state-sponsored security threats.

Dr Singh said along with the independence movement of Kashmiris “the struggle of Sikhs for setting up the state of Khalistan is also inevitable”. The meeting was informed that work on the National Minorities Commission Bill and the Interfaith Harmony Policy was in progress.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2020