No exodus of Hindus, FIA tells Malik

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: A fact-finding exercise undertaken by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has found that no exodus of the members of Hindu community from Sindh and Balochistan is taking place.

The FIA director general informed a meeting presided over by Interior Minister Rehman Malik that all the passengers who left for India over the past couple of days had volunteered statements that they were going to that country to visit religious sites and not for any other reason.

In his report, the FIA chief said the members of the minority community were not leaving Pakistan for good and had no complaint of insecurity.

The interior minister had taken notice of reports that insecurity had forced the Hindu families to migrate to India and directed the FIA to look into the matter and submit a report.

The meeting was attended by the interior secretary and additional secretary, Islamabad police chief and other senior officers.

The FIA was asked to probe into the role of agents in marketing plans which could win asylum for Hindus in western countries.

The meeting was informed that all the Hindus travelling to India had been treated with dignity and honour and permitted to leave in accordance with their schedule.

The interior minister directed the FIA chief to keep a watch on those spreading rumours of mass exodus. A cell has been established in the FIA where members of the minorities can lodge complaints about injustice, if any.

The FIA chief was asked to assist a committee constituted by President Asif Ali Zardari to look into the issue and grievances of the Hindu community in Sindh. The community was assured that their rights would be protected and nobody would be allowed to violate the Constitution which guarantees full rights to the minorities to practise their religious rites.

The interior minister asked the FIA director general to look into the veracity of complaints about forced marriage of teenage Hindu girls. He told the official to compile details of all such incidents and submit separate reports on each case. The report on forced marriages will be made public.

Meanwhile, Gilgit Baltistan Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah met Senator Rehman Malik and discussed with him the law and order situation in the region.

MNA Aftab Shahban Mirani also called on the interior minister to discuss problems relating to passport and NADRA being faced by the people of his constituency.

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