Dhaka witnesses protest rally against minorities harassment in Pakistan

New Delhi: A protest rally was organised on Friday in Dhaka against atrocities on the Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan.

The protesters included Sumon Kumar Roy, President of Bangladesh Hindu Bar Association; Kapil Krishna Mandal, General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Bangladesh Branch and Subir Kanti Saha, Convener of Hindu Parishad

Leading march against the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka Mandal said that a temple had been set on fire and was vandalized in the Karak district of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.


Although the Hindus of Pakistan are outraged by this incident, Imran Khan's administration has not yet taken any action, Mandal noted.

He alleged that unspeakable atrocities are being perpetrated on minorities in Pakistan every day.

Another protestor Dipankar Sikder Dipu said that according to various human rights organizations, Hindus living in Sindh province were subjected to severe torture by extremist fundamentalists and women were forcibly taken away and raped. “We have not seen any visible trial in this case till date, which is very reprehensible.”

Saha said that at least 1000 minors are being raped and converted by force every year. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports that minors from Pakistan's Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities were forcibly abducted to convert to Islam and forced into marriage and raped, for which no action has yet been taken.

Sadhan Das said that according to Pakistani human rights activists, extremist religious fundamentalists, high-ranking government officials, magistrates and local police were all involved in this cycle of persecution of minorities.

Sumon Kumar Roy said Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan have to live as second class citizens. They have to be discriminated against in every step of life to get accommodation, job, government facilities.

The International Human Rights Organization (IHRO) also called on the Imran Khan administration to conduct a thorough investigation into all these incidents and ensure that the perpetrators are punished severely under the country's customary law.