'Attacks on minorities, forcible conversions pervasive in Pak'

By IANS | Published: September 17, 2019 09:02 PM2019-09-17T21:02:05+5:302019-09-17T21:10:04+5:30

With Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan raging about the condition of Muslims in India under a "Hindu supremacist" Modi government, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday took potshots at the neighbouring country's own dwindling number of minorities and the attacks on Hindu temples and forcible conversion of Hindu women.

'Attacks on minorities, forcible conversions pervasive in Pak' | 'Attacks on minorities, forcible conversions pervasive in Pak'

'Attacks on minorities, forcible conversions pervasive in Pak'

To a question on the attacks on a Hindu temple and property of Hindus in Ghotki in Pakistan's Sindh province, Jaishankar said that the dwindling number of minorities in Pakistan is not a new thing.

He said while Pakistan is "waxing eloquent about other nations (India), look at their treatment of minorities."

"Their minority numbers have come down dramatically in the last 70 years, to an extent that I don't think they even put it out publicly. What is happening now in Sindh is not the only thing happening, there were also cases of abductions of Sikh girls. This is a continuing story, and this is pretty pervasive in that country.

"And if today there is really an objective human rights audit in this part of the world, I can predict who will come last," he said.

On Saturday, a frenzied mob wielding sticks vented their anger on a Hindu temple and the Sindh Public School in Ghotki over an alleged incident of blasphemy.

The police registered cases against more than 200 people in connection with the anti-Hindu riots and arrested a Hindu principal for alleged blasphemy.

Earlier, two Sikh girls were abducted and forcibly converted to Islam and married off to Muslim men.

Imran Khan has been openly appealing to Muslim sentiments over Kashmir, and attacking the Modi government as "Hindu supremacist and fascist".

During his 'Jalsa' in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Friday, Imran Khan had alleged that the Modi government was "giving Muslims the message that this Hindustan is only for Hindus" and thereby "pushing them towards radicalisation and extremism."

According to him, "all Muslims are looking towards Kashmir" and were prepared to take up the gun for its sake.

In 1947, almost 23 per cent of Pakistan's population comprised of non-Muslim citizens, mostly Hindus. But in the past 70 decades it has shrunk to less than three per cent, with Hindus now at barely 1.5 per cent.

( With inputs from IANS )

Open in app