Kathmandu, Jan 24 (IANS) Pakistan’s Sindh province, home to the bulk of the country’s Hindu minority, has faced recurring outbreaks of communal violence sparked by blasphemy accusations. These attacks unfold in a similar pattern, beginning with an allegation, followed by the mobilisation of crowds by religious leaders, communal unrest, and the forced displacements of the affected Hindu community, a report highlighted on Saturday.
“The latest killing of a Hindu farmer in Sindh once again exposed the extreme vulnerability of religious minorities in Pakistan. The victim, a young tenant farmer from the Kolhi community, was shot dead in broad daylight following a dispute with a powerful local landlord over land use. The incident triggered protests across Sindh, with Hindu communities blocking highways and demanding justice,” a report in Nepalese media outlet Khabarhub detailed.
“The case was not merely about one killing; it symbolised a deeper pattern of impunity, feudal power, and religious marginalisation that has defined the lived reality of Hindus in Pakistan over the past several decades. For many minorities, particularly Hindus, Pakistan has increasingly become a hostile space marked by false allegations, forced conversions, kidnappings, economic coercion, and targeted violence,” it added.
According to the report, similar incidents of violence have also occurred in Pakistan’s Punjab province, despite having a much smaller Hindu population. Citing a study by the Lahore-based Centre for Social Justice, it documented that at least 421 minority women and girls were subjected to forced conversions between 2021 and 2024, with 71 per cent of them underage, and largely from Hindu and Christian communities.
These incidents, the report said, underscored that communal violence against Hindus is not geographically isolated but rooted in a broader national culture of intolerance that enables mob-driven justice.
“Beyond physical violence, systemic persecution has played an equally destructive role in shrinking Hindu civic space. Year after year, reports document underage Hindu girls being abducted, coerced into converting to Islam, and married to Muslim men. Families who attempt legal remedies face death threats, delayed hearings, and court rulings that overwhelmingly favour the alleged converters,” the report stressed.
“Despite public debate and legislative attempts, no effective national law criminalising forced conversions has been enacted, and no meaningful judicial precedent exists in favour of Hindu families. This legal vacuum has emboldened perpetrators and created a climate of fear among Hindu parents,” it noted.
The report further said, “With limited state support and growing tolerance of radical Islamist outfits, for Pakistan’s Hindu minority, the question is no longer about equality, but about survival in a system that has repeatedly failed to protect them.”
–IANS
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