Religious minorities continue to face atrocities in Imran Khan-led govt in Pakistan, feel no longer safe

ISLAMABAD: There is no doubt that Pakistan tries its best to portray itself as a saviour of minorities and misses out no opportunity to pat its back before the international community. However, the reality is far contrary to hefty claims made by Imran Khan-led government on the safety and security of the minority community in its country. 

Frequent reports that have surfaced from across the border in the recent past clearly speak out about atrocities being committed on minority communities, especially Sikhs and Hindus, whose young teenage daughters were abducted, forcefully converted to Islam and married to much older Muslim men. People belonging to minority communities in Pakistan often get implicated in blasphemy cases and this is primarily because government agencies want to settle their personal scores by providing support to Muslims who are in majority in the country. 

Condition of Sikhs in Pakistan is no better from other minority communities, even as Pakistan government claims to have given them equal rights in the society and have also 'planted' some of Sikh faces in its defence forces and in administration. However, the Imran Khan government is indirectly managing Sikh shrines and taking key decision on their behalf. 

More recently, while the Pakistan government took away the rights from Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee and formed a Project Management Unit Kartarpur Sahib, to manage the recently opened Kartarpur corridor and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. 

A prominent Sikh from Pakistan, who didn't wish to give his name for obvious reasons, revealed that Pakistan allowed to form the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee and have Anand Marriage Act, for the sake of its image. He added that real power to control such institutions rests with the Pakistan government's various departments including Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). 

"The media must question the Pakistan government about young girls belonging to minority community being abducted and forcibly converted in Pakistan every year," he said. He adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was in opposition once, used to take up the cause of atrocities on Hindus during his political speeches. However, he has been staying mum on the same issues after taking over as the Prime Minister. 

"They are ignoring Hindus and Sikhs here but giving importance to temples and buildings which is not right," he said.  

Talking about the minority community politicians, he revealed that any politician from the minority community is given seat from the minority quota depending upon the donations and the funds given by the said person to the political party. 

Sikh, Hindu and Christian Member National Assembly or Member Provincial Assembly were the ones who were sycophants of a particular political party and gave them huge funds to remain in politics. 

The real issue is to provide safety and security to the minority communities of Pakistan, stopping the forced conversion of Hindu and Sikh girls, stopping hate speech, removing content from the textbooks and not opening temples. "There is no recognition for the communities," he observed. 

In the past, a daughter of Granthi of Nankana Sahib was abducted and she couldn’t be recovered for long. Similarly, a cousin sister of a controversial Sikh leader of Nankana Sahib was also abducted and married to a Muslim man. The girl had to stay in the Dar ul Aman for over a year in seek of justice but ended up being sent by the court with her Muslim husband. 

"This is the reason we Sikhs and Hindus don’t want to send our girls to college as she can be easily spotted by anyone who would go on to claim that the girl wants to embrace Islam. In this scenario, not only the Muslim community but the whole state machinery and forced groups join hands to convert her religion. The girl would be abducted, taken to Dar ul Aman where she would be brainwashed and forced to give a statement suiting her abductors, who would get scot-free in the majority of cases," said the Sikh leader.